Egyptian Termis (aka Lupini Beans)

I’ve always had a big problem when it came to eating; I can’t stop doing it! I have to eat something every now and then or I start to get cranky, and my hunger induced crankiness can get pretty scary (just ask Ismail). I don’t understand people who claim to spend the whole day without a single morsel of food until dinnertime. Snacking is an absolute must for me.

Which brings us to the ever evolving dilemma of choosing the right (read: magic, non fattening) snacks. I do not eat carrot sticks because I’m not a rodent on Atkins. I love potato chips and can polish off a family size bag in 3 minutes flat, but they’re obviously out as an everyday treat because I don’t want to be a pimply, greasy haired blimp. So how do I satisfy my need for a crunchy, salty snack? I eat termis.

Basically, termis (Arabic for lupini beans) is a type of legume that is eaten as a relatively healthy snack in Egypt (I think you can find it in other countries but I’m not sure where). It’s pretty filling and enjoyable once you get the hang of popping the bean out of its skin with your front teeth. So fun, tasty AND healthy. What are you waiting for?

Ingredients:
1 pound (or any quantity really) dry lupini beans
Water
Salt
Cumin (optional)

Directions:

First, you’re going to need to soak the beans in water for 24 hours (make sure you cover the beans well because they’re going to swell up as they soak). After that you’re going to boil the beans for around 30 minutes.

Rinse the beans under cold running water.

Put them in fresh, well salted water (like you’re salting water for pasta- so not too much and not too little) and leave them for around 4 hours. This is to get rid of the beans’ bitter taste.

Change the salted water again and taste. You want no trace of bitterness in the termis. If it still tastes a bit bitter, change the water one more time.

Add more salt to taste and put it in the fridge for up to one week. Make sure all the termis is covered with water and if it tastes too salty simply rinse it off and change the water again decreasing the amount of salt.

I hate cumin but lots of people like to add it to their termis to give it a kick. You could also think up of various other spices to add, I won’t stand in your way.

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Termis (Lupini Beans)

Ingredients

• 1 pound or any quantity really dry lupini beans
• Water
• Salt
• Cumin optional

Instructions

1. First, you’re going to need to soak the beans in water for 24 hours (make sure you cover the beans well because they’re going to swell up as they soak). After that you’re going to boil the beans for around 30 minutes.
2. Rinse the beans under cold running water.
3. Put them in fresh, well salted water (like you’re salting water for pasta- so not too much and not too little) and leave them for around 4 hours. This is to get rid of the beans’ bitter taste.
4. Change the salted water again and taste. You want no trace of bitterness in the termis. If it still tastes a bit bitter, change the water one more time.
5. Add more salt to taste and put it in the fridge for up to one week. Make sure all the termis is covered with water and if it tastes too salty simply rinse it off and change the water again decreasing the amount of salt.
6. I hate cumin but lots of people like to add it to their termis to give it a kick. You could also think up of various other spices to add, I won’t stand in your way.