Fava belongs to Türkiye’s cold meze tradition. Turkish Ministry of Education culinary manuals describe broad beans as the base, with onion, olive oil, a little sugar and herbs, and note that the purée thickens as it cools. GoTürkiye places fava among the vegetable- and olive-oil-led mezes of the Aegean table. This version follows that set, sliceable style and finishes it with dill, red onion, olives and lemon.
Fava — Recipe Card
Turkish broad bean purée with olive oil and dill
Makes 8 servingsUS cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Fava
Start the beans
Rinse the split broad beans until the water runs mostly clear. Put them in a heavy saucepan with the 900 ml / 3¾ cups water, yellow onion and 30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and skim away any foam.
Cook until collapsing
Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook partly covered for 40–50 minutes, stirring more often as the mixture thickens. Add hot water 60 ml / ¼ cup at a time only if the beans catch before becoming tender. They are ready when they collapse under a spoon and a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clear trail for several seconds.
Purée and season
Take the pan off the heat. Add 30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil, the sugar, salt and lemon juice. Purée carefully with an immersion blender until completely smooth. If the purée pours like soup rather than dropping heavily from a spoon, return it to low heat for 5–8 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add dill and mould
Fold in half of the dill. Rinse a 20 × 10 cm / 8 × 4 in loaf pan or a shallow serving dish with cold water and shake out the excess. Spoon in the warm fava, level the surface and let visible steam subside for no more than 20 minutes.
Chill until firm
Cover and refrigerate at 4°C / 40°F or below for at least 3 hours, until thoroughly cold and firm. To unmould, dip only the base of the pan in warm water for 5 seconds, loosen the edges with a thin knife and invert onto a platter. Alternatively, serve directly from the shallow dish.
Garnish and serve
Drizzle with the remaining 30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil. Scatter over the remaining dill and red onion, then add the olives and lemon wedges. Cut into 8 portions and serve chilled as part of a meze spread.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-broad-bean-puree-fava. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Heat level
No added chili. Fava is bright from lemon and dill rather than spicy. If desired, serve hot pepper flakes separately so the base recipe remains mild.
Dietary notes
The exact recipe is vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free when the dried broad beans and all packaged ingredients are labelled gluten-free as needed. Labels reduce ingredient risk but do not guarantee the absence of cross-contact for every kitchen.
Bean choice
Use dried peeled split broad beans, not fresh green broad beans and not whole dried beans with skins. Split beans cook down evenly without an overnight soak; whole dried beans need soaking and a longer cooking time.
Setting cue
Warm fava should be thicker than soup but softer than the final dish. It continues to firm as it cools, so judge it by the persistent spoon trail before blending and chilling.
How to store and reheat Fava
Refrigerate fava within 2 hours of cooking (within 1 hour when the room is above 32°C / 90°F) in a shallow covered container at 4°C / 40°F or below. Keep for 3–4 days. Serve cold; if you choose to reheat a portion, heat it once to 74°C / 165°F. Discard fava left unrefrigerated beyond those limits.
Fava: questions and answers
Is Turkish fava made from fresh or dried broad beans?
Classic set fava uses dried peeled split broad beans. Fresh broad beans make a greener, looser purée with a different flavour and cooking time.
Do split broad beans need soaking?
No. Peeled split broad beans can be rinsed and cooked directly. If your package contains whole dried beans with skins, soak them overnight and expect a longer simmer.
Why did my fava not set?
The purée probably retained too much water. Return it to low heat and stir until a spoon leaves a trail for several seconds, then chill for the full 3 hours.
Can I serve fava without unmoulding it?
Yes. Spoon it into a shallow dish, chill it there and add the same olive oil, dill, red onion, olives and lemon just before serving.
