Ingredients
Beans
- 500 gdried lupin beans
- water, a great deal of it
Brine
- 3 litreswater
- 150 gcoarse salt
- 2bay leaves, optional
To serve
- lemon wedges
- extra salt
- cold water or arak, alongside
Directions
- Keep soaking until every trace of it has gone. Anyone allergic to peanuts should not eat lupin. Rinse them well and put them in a large bowl. Cover them with several times their volume of cold water.
- Leave them for twenty-four hours at room temperature. Drain and rinse them thoroughly afterwards. Put the soaked beans into a large pot. Cover them with fresh water and bring it to the boil. Boil them steadily for a full hour. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. They should become tender without breaking apart.
- Drain them and rinse them under cold running water. Put the boiled beans into a bucket or a large bowl. Cover them with plenty of cold water. Rinse the beans at every water change. Keep the container in the refrigerator if you can.
- Cool storage prevents them spoiling over the long soak. Continue this for a minimum of five days. Taste a single bean each day from day five. Spit it out at once if there is any bitterness.
- Keep going until it tastes completely bland. Warm weather can shorten the process slightly. Add bay leaves if you want a little aroma. Pour it over the drained beans until they are covered. Leave them in the brine for a full day.
- Taste one and give them longer if they seem flat. Storing them keeps them ready to eat. Keep the beans submerged in their brine in the refrigerator. They stay good for about a week.
- Scoop the beans into a cup with a little of the brine. Squeeze lemon over them generously. Pile the discarded skins on the side of the plate. They are eaten as a snack with arak or with cold water.
Technique
- Lupins have been eaten around the Mediterranean since antiquity, and the long soaking process to remove their bitterness is equally old.
- The same bean is prepared almost identically in Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Turkey.
Substitutions
- Ready-brined lupini beans sold in jars are already safe to eat and need only rinsing and dressing.
- They are strongly recommended for anyone who has not prepared dried lupins before.
Variations
- Egyptian termes is served with cumin and chilli rather than plain salt.
- Portuguese tremocos are served with beer in the same way.
- Some Lebanese vendors add a squeeze of lemon straight into the cup.
History
Lupins must be soaked for days to leach their bitterness; vendors sell them in cups along the seafront.
Frequently asked questions
What is Termos?
Termos is a snack from Lebanon: salt-brined lupin beans popped from their skins, eaten cold on the corniche. Lupins must be soaked for days to leach their bitterness; vendors sell them in cups along the seafront.
How long does Termos take to make?
Termos takes 20 minutes plus 5 to 7 days soaking of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6 as a snack. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Termos?
Yes, within limits. Ready-brined lupini beans sold in jars are already safe to eat and need only rinsing and dressing. They are strongly recommended for anyone who has not prepared dried lupins before.
