Shahan Ful (Spiced Fava Bean Mash with Feta and Jalapeños)
ሻሃን ፉል·(sha-han fool)
Qurs: The Slow Saturday Morning
If injera is the king of the Ethiopian dinner table, Shahan Ful rules the slow Saturday morning. It is the immediate, visceral smell of home: deeply sweated onions, earthy cumin, and the brick-red heat of Berbere hitting hot oil. Back in the homeland, grandmothers soaked dried fava beans overnight, but the diaspora secret is the canned fava bean, which turns a twelve-hour labor of love into a twenty-minute triumph. The magic lies entirely in the contrast—a hot, aggressively spiced, rustic bean mash piled high with unapologetic mounds of cool feta, sharp raw jalapeños, and crisp red onions.
Before you start
Warm your crusty rolls in a low oven before starting the beans.
Shahan Ful comes together incredibly fast, so you want your bread warm and ready for immediate scooping the second the beans come off the stove.
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- garlic4 med clove
- Berbere spice blend1 tbsp
- ground cumin1 tsp
- tomatoes2 med
- canned fava beans30 oz
- water1/2 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- fresh lemon juice1 tbsp
- feta cheese1/2 cup
- jalapeño pepper1 med
- red onion1/4 cup
- fresh cilantro1/4 cup
- crusty rolls4 med
Method
- 01
Sauté the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until deeply softened and just turning golden.
Do not rush this; the sweetness of the heavily cooked onions provides the necessary foundation to balance the aggressive heat of the spices.
- 02
Add the minced garlic, Berbere, and cumin to the oil and stir constantly for one minute.
This is blooming—the essential technique that unlocks the fat-soluble flavor compounds and eliminates the dusty, raw taste of the spices.
- 03
Stir in most of the diced tomatoes and the salt, letting them cook down into a thick, jammy paste.
Reserve a small handful of the raw diced tomatoes for the final garnish.
- 04
Pour in the undrained fava beans, bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for ten minutes.
- 05
Remove the lid and roughly mash the beans directly in the pot.
Use a potato masher or the flat bottom of a mug. You want a coarse, rustic texture like chunky refried beans, not a smooth puree. Splash in a little water if the mixture looks too dry.
- 06
Remove from the heat, stir in the fresh lemon juice, and adjust the salt to taste.
- 07
Divide the hot mash into wide bowls and crown heavily with the garnishes.
Top each bowl with distinct piles of crumbled feta, minced red onion, the reserved diced tomatoes, and jalapeños, finishing with a heavy drizzle of good olive oil. Serve immediately with warm crusty rolls for scooping.
Notes
Sourcing the Berbere is absolutely non-negotiable.
Berbere is the soul of this dish. Avoid generic grocery store blends and source it from a local East African market or a reputable online vendor for the true, complex heat.
Crumbled feta is the universally accepted diaspora substitute for traditional Ayib cheese.
It offers the perfect salty, lactic tang needed to cut the heat. To align with Orthodox vegan fasting days, simply omit it.
From Heirloom Ethiopian.