Ful medames
Ful medames is one of Egypt's oldest dishes — fava beans were grown there in antiquity, and today it is the everyday breakfast of millions of Egyptians. The secret is not in the ingredients but the proportion: you mash only half the beans, so you get a creamy base and whole beans to bite at the same time.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Heating the beans 12 min
- Mashing half 5 min
- Seasoning 5 min
- Serving with toppings 5 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneHeat the beans in their liquid
Tip the beans along with the canning liquid into a pot, add the crushed garlic and cumin and heat gently for 10–12 minutes. That liquid is starchy and gives the dish its creaminess — do not drain it away.
Ingredients: 800 g Egyptian fava beans (ful) · 3 cloves garlic · 2 tsp cumin · 5 tbsp olive oil · 2 pcs lemons · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp chilli flakes
TipAdd the cumin to the hot liquid, not at the end. It needs a few minutes of heat to release its aroma.
The canning liquid stays — it binds the whole dish.Mash only half
Mash roughly half the beans with a potato masher, leaving the rest whole. That mix of creamy base and whole beans is the point of ful medames — blended smooth it would be more like a spread.
Ingredients: 800 g Egyptian fava beans (ful) · 3 cloves garlic · 2 tsp cumin · 5 tbsp olive oil · 2 pcs lemons · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp chilli flakes
Half cream, half whole beans — that is a well-made ful.Season generously
Take off the heat and stir in the juice of two lemons, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the chilli. Taste before adding salt — the canning liquid is often salty already. Ful needs far more acid and oil than instinct suggests — the beans are starchy and mute flavours.
Ingredients: 800 g Egyptian fava beans (ful) · 3 cloves garlic · 2 tsp cumin · 5 tbsp olive oil · 2 pcs lemons · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp chilli flakes
TipIf the mixture is too thick, add boiling water a spoonful at a time. It should be as thick as porridge, not a paste.
Serve with toppings on the side
Spoon into shallow bowls, make a well with the back of a spoon and pour the rest of the olive oil into it. Arrange the tomato, onion, parsley and egg quarters (if using) around. Everyone mixes in their own toppings — that is how ful is often served in Egypt.
Ingredients: 2 pcs tomatoes · ½ pcs onion · ½ bunch parsley · 2 pcs eggs · 4 pcs pita bread · 2 tbsp tahini
Eat with pita, not a spoon
Warm the pita and serve it alongside. Ful is eaten by scooping with a piece of bread, not with cutlery. Add a spoon of tahini on top if you like — it brings creaminess and a nutty note.
Ingredients: 2 pcs tomatoes · ½ pcs onion · ½ bunch parsley · 2 pcs eggs · 4 pcs pita bread · 2 tbsp tahini
Before you start
From dried beans
Soak 400 g of dried Egyptian fava beans overnight and simmer gently for 1.5–3 hours, until very soft. The flavour is markedly better, but the canned version is what people actually eat daily.
For dinner
Ful medames is a breakfast but works at any hour. Add fried sausage or a fried egg and you have a full meal.
Reheating
It thickens in the fridge. Reheat with a splash of water and season again with lemon — after a night the acidity always seems weaker.
