This dish is pronounced fasuleeyay in Arabic. And it's yet another dish that I make quite often because it tastes amazing and is so simple to make. In fact when I make it, everyone eats it so quickly that I end up making more as everyone is finishing the last few bites, its that easy.
My brother recently argued with me saying Middle Eastern cuisine is mainly vegetarian and the meat is just an accessory. I disagreed at first because any Middle Eastern person will tell you, Arabs love their meat. If you're having guests over, more meat means you're more generous and hospitable. Every occasion is marked by the amount of meat that was served. So of course I disagreed with him. But then the more I thought about it the more I agreed. Most middle eastern dishes can stand alone as completely satisfying vegetarian dishes and the meat is just an accessory added at the end. This is one of those dishes. I tend to eat it with no meat and it tastes amazing but my mom sometimes adds tender meat chunks and it also tastes amazing. On a Middle Eastern table, if there is meat on it it can be served as an entree, but without the meat its a side dish. However you decide to serve this make sure you have warm pita bread to eat it with!