Ful medames – Egyptian fava beans
This ful medames is the heart of a savory and delicious Egyptian breakfast. Stewed fava beans flavored with earthy cumin and bright lemon, topped with olive oil and all your favorite fixings, its a quick, affordable and delicious vegan meal.
What is ful medames?
Ful medames is a staple in Egyptian cuisine. Literally meaning “buried beans”, it is a dish of stewed fava beans, made at home, and sold everywhere on the streets of Egypt.
It is a dish that traces its origins to ancient Egypt- and has since spread throughout North and East Africa and West Asia.
Made from the humble and inexpensive staple of fava beans, ful is most commonly eaten at breakfast, but provides an affordable and satiating meal any time of the day.
My Baba used to refer to an old Egyptian saying that ful is the rich man’s breakfast and the poor man’s dinner.
It is also super delicious.
How do you make ful medames?
Making ful medames is very easy.
However, there are two routes you can go- using dried fava beans or using canned beans.
For most beans dishes I prefer to start with dry beans. They are more affordable and often more flavorful.
In the case of ful medames though, I usually used canned beans.
The dried beans take a very long time to soften, and its usually more of a time investment than I am willing to make for a dish I usually eat for breakfast.
And luckily, a good can of fava beans is super flavorful.
My absolute favorite brand of fava beans is California Garden. It can be found in any Middle Eastern market or online. This brand has various types of spiced and seasoned fava beans, but I like to start with the plain ones. If you can’t find this brand, don’t worry, grab what you can.
Cooking ful medames
Cooking this quick ful medames is really easy.
First, heat some good quality olive oil over medium-high heat. To that you will add minced garlic and ground cumin to create an aromatic base for your beans. Some people also add minced onions or tomato at this stage, but here we are keeping it super simple.
Then, dump the entire contents of your canned ful into the pot.
Yes, not only are we using canned beans instead of dried, we are using the brine too. Bean rules be damned. The brine in the can adds a great depth of flavor.
Simmer your beans until very soft, then you will mash them to your desired texture, add fresh lemom juice for brightness, adjust your seasoning, and you’re done!
The fun part- ful medames toppings!
Now that you’ve cooked your simple but flavorful ful medames, its time for the best part, toppings!
I love to serve the ful plain. While a generous drizzle of olive oil is mandatory, where you go from there is up to you. If you are looking for a great olive oil option, I highly recommend this Palestinian hand-picked and village-pressed oil.
Personally, I love to top ful with minced red onions, hot green chili peppers, and chopped tomatoes; but the possibilities are endless.
Some additional options include:
- chopped parsley or other herbs
- green onions
- hot sauce, like my green shatta
- tahina or tahina sauce
- flaxseed oil, known in Egypt as ‘zeit haar’
- eggs- fried or boiled
- sardines- a delicious addition I first encountered at an Eritrean restaurant
If serving others, present them with a big pot of ful and a little buffet of toppings to choose from!
What to serve with ful medames?
Ful is served with Egyptian baladi or pita bread for scooping it up, or stuffing to make sandwiches.
If you are having your ful as part of a traditional Egyptian breakfast spread, serve it alongside any mix of these typical breakfast dishes like:
- eggs, any styles, including the Egyptian classic eggs with basturma
- falafel, also known in Egypt as taameya, the other Egyptian fava bean staple food
- fresh vegetables, like cucumbers and tomatoes
- tahina sauce
- olives
- assorted cheeses
- Egyptian feteer
- pickled eggplants
- fried potatoes
There’s really nothing like an Egyptian breakfast.
Bel hana wel shifa, enjoy!
Related recipes
Ful medames – Egyptian fava beans
Ingredients
For ful medames
- 2 TBS olive oil plus more for serving
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tsp cumin ground
- 2 cans fava beans unseasoned
- 1 tsp kosher salt flakes or to taste
- 1 large lemon plus more if desired
Topping options
- tomato diced
- red onion or scallion finely chopped
- hot chili pepper jalapeno, serrano, Thai chili etc; finely minced
- parsley finely chopped
- tahini good quality, for drizzling
Serve with
- pita or baladi bread
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and fry, stirring constantly until it become aromatic. Add cumin and continue stirring for a minute or two. Do not let it burn, reduce heat if necessary.
- Add full contents of the two cans of ful, yes including the brine! Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (or half that amount if using table or coarse salt).
- Bring to a boil, then lower to medium-low heat and cover. Simmer until beans are very soft, approximately 15 minutes.
- Once beans are very soft, add the juice of half a lemon, and mash the beans to your desired texture. I prefer them about half mashed with a good amount of texture.
- move to serving bowl or bowls, and top with a generous drizzle of olive oil and desired toppings.
- To eat, scoop up bits with your pita bread, serve directly in the bread as a sandich, or just dig in with a spoon!
