Lia's Kitchen

Fáva – a velvety Greek dip

Posted on September 15, 2018 Updated on September 14, 2018

Fáva is a velvety, smooth dip very popular in the taverns and homes of Greece. Not to be confused with the fava bean or broad bean, it is usually made with yellow split peas. Occasionally it is also made with dried and broken fava beans (κουκιά) but that dish has a light, green colour instead of its usual pale, mustard-yellow. It is usually served cold with chopped onion, lemon juice and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. But mother often fed us warm fava for a filling and nutritious meal – and we loved it. My favourite fáva flavour has a Cretan inspiration. Toasted cumin seeds and fried onion flavour my fáva recipe whilst roasted tomatoes and often caramelised onions are also paired or ‘married’ with it, as the Cretans say. Fáva can be paired beautifully with lamb but also octopus. It is nutritious and filling, and an impressive alternative to Hummus.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (around 250g) yellow split peas
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 – 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Salt (optional)
• Pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Rinse the yellow split peas well and place in a sieve.
2. Add enough oil to coat the base of a medium pot (2 to 3 tablespoons).
3. Add the onion, garlic clove, bay leaf and cumin seeds, and stir fry for around 5 minutes till the onion slightly softens.
4. Toss in the yellow split peas and coat well in the oil and flavours.
5. Add the boiling hot stock and bring to a low simmer for up to 40 minutes.
6. At the beginning the mixture might froth. If this happens remove the froth with a slotted spoon.
7. Half an hour into cooking check whether the dish requires additional water so that it does not stick to the pan.
8. When cooked the peas should be getting mushy when mixed and should not have a bite.
9. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf, add the lemon juice and cream the mixture with a hand blender.
10. You can serve mixed in with roasted tomatoes and topped with caramelised onions.

Lia’s notes: 

• Yellow split peas are not the same as chana daal (yellow split lentils) commonly used in Indian cooking. You can source great quality, British grown, organic peas online through hodmedods.co.uk.
• Good quality ingredients make a great dip, so as well as using Hodmedods yellow split peas, I recommend you source use good quality extra virgin olive oil for this dip. Some of my  choices include Oliveology, the Olive Press in Ludlow and The Greek Secret olive oils.