Hamin exists because of a rule. Jewish law forbids cooking on the Sabbath, which runs from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, so families found a way to have a hot meal at Saturday lunch anyway: bring a pot of meat, beans and grains to the boil before the Sabbath begins, then keep it warm over a low heat to cook gently through the night. Hamin took shape among the Sephardi Jews of medieval Spain, and Ashkenazi Jews in Europe developed their own cousin, cholent. In Israel, where Jews arrived from every one of those places, the word hamin covers the lot, and every family's version is the correct one.

The joy of it is what the long night does. Whole eggs tucked into the pot come out with shells stained brown and whites the color of coffee and cream, a Sephardi treat called huevos haminados. Potatoes turn mahogany, wheat berries plump up and soak in the juices, and the beef falls apart at a touch. It takes ten minutes of attention on the night before and ten more to serve, and for the hours in between the house smells wonderful. That makes it the perfect dish to start before you go to bed and lift out of the oven just as the race build up begins.

The wheat berry bag

Ingredients

• 1 cup (180 g) wheat berries
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Method

1. Toss the drained wheat berries with the oil, salt and paprika. Lay a double layer of cheesecloth about 16 inches (40 cm) square on the counter, pile the wheat berries in the middle, gather the corners and tie them loosely with string, leaving room for the grains to swell to about twice their size.

The hamin

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil or vegetable oil
• 3 lb (1.4 kg) beef chuck, brisket or flanken
• 2 large yellow onions
• 1 cup (200 g) dried chickpeas
• 1 cup (190 g) dried white beans or pinto beans
• 1 whole head of garlic
• 6 medium waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
• 8 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon fine salt
• 3 tablespoons (60 g) silan (date syrup)
• 8 cups (1.9 liters) boiling water

Method

1. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium high heat. Season the beef lightly with salt and brown it in batches for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Move it to a plate, then cook the onion slices in the same pan for 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits.
2. Heat the oven to 225°F (105°C) with a rack in the lower third and no rack above it.
3. Spread the onions over the bottom of the Dutch oven. Scatter over the drained chickpeas, white beans and garlic cloves. Set the beef on top, then fit the potatoes and the wheat berry bag around it. Nestle the raw eggs in the gaps, carefully, so they sit between the potatoes and are not resting on the bottom.
4. Stir the paprika, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, pepper flakes if using, salt and silan into the boiling water in the jug. Pour it over everything in the pot. Add more boiling water if needed so the liquid just covers the beans and comes most of the way up the potatoes.
5. Set the pot over medium high heat and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Taste the liquid: it should taste quite salty, since the beans and potatoes will absorb a lot.
6. Lay a sheet of foil over the pot, press the lid down on top so it is tightly sealed, and put the pot in the oven. Cook for 10 to 12 hours, or overnight. There is no need to open it, but if you check after 6 hours and the top looks dry, add a cup (240 ml) of boiling water.
7. Take the pot out carefully and lift the lid away from your face. Lift out the eggs, potatoes and wheat berry bag with tongs, cut the bag open and tip the wheat berries into a bowl. Taste the beans and sauce and add salt if needed.

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