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Ful Medames
Serves 4 Prep 10 min Cook 2 hr Total 2 hr 10 min Type Meal Origin Egyptian

Ful Medames

Egypt's national breakfast: dried fava beans slow-cooked with garlic, lemon, cumin and olive oil into a rough mash, eaten warm with bread, eggs, tomato, onion and chilli. Sold from carts across Cairo; cooked overnight in tall copper pots called qidra. Cheap, ancient, deeply nourishing.

Serves 4 Prep 10 minutes (plus overnight bean soak) Cook 2 hours Units Rate

Overview

Whole dried fava beans soak overnight, then simmer slowly until the skins soften and the beans are completely tender, they'll break down on the edges, stay whole at the heart. Garlic, lemon, cumin and salt mash through; a generous pour of olive oil at the end. Tomato, onion, parsley and a hard-boiled egg or two on top.

Ingredients

Beans

  • 350 g dried fava beans (whole, brown skinned; soaked overnight) or 2 x 400 g tins
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

To finish

  • 6 garlic cloves (crushed to paste with a pinch of salt)
  • 2 lemons (juice)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon hot paprika (or chilli flakes)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs (halved, optional)

Toppings

  • 2 tomatoes (medium, diced)
  • 1 red onion (small, finely chopped)
  • A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
  • 4 tablespoons tahini sauce (optional)
  • Pickled chillies
  • Warm pita (or aysh baladi, Egyptian bread)

Method

Stage 1 - Cook the beans (if using dried)

  1. Drain the soaked beans; cover with fresh water by 5 cm.
  2. Add the bay leaf, cumin and coriander.
  3. Bring to the boil; reduce to a steady simmer; cook 1 ½-2 hours until completely tender.
  4. Reserve some of the cooking liquid.

Stage 2 - If using tinned, just heat

  1. Drain the tins; place beans in a pan with 200 ml water; warm through 5 minutes.

Stage 3 - Season

  1. Off the heat, mash about a third of the beans roughly against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon; leave the rest whole.
  2. Stir in the crushed garlic, lemon juice, cumin, paprika and salt.
  3. Add bean cooking liquid (or hot water) to loosen to a thick stew - should hold a furrow but not be dry.
  4. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil; stir.

Stage 4 - Serve

  1. Pile into 4 bowls.
  2. Top with diced tomato, chopped onion, parsley and pickled chillies.
  3. Place hard-boiled egg halves on top.
  4. Drizzle generously with the remaining olive oil.
  5. Serve with warm bread and tahini sauce on the side.

Notes

  • Dried beans give the proper texture: Tinned ful medames are softer and more uniform; the dried version gives the mix of soft mash and intact whole beans that defines the dish.
  • Skin tenderness varies: Some Egyptian markets sell skinned ful (hard-cooked, fast). Whole brown-skinned beans need the long simmer.
  • Cold leftovers: Many Egyptians eat ful cold the next day for breakfast, scooped into bread.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days refrigerated; eats well cold or reheated.
  • Freezes 3 months.

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