Breakfast

Ful Medames

Name: Ful Medames
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 165 min
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: 2 cups Broad beans, drained; 1/3 cup Parsley, chopped; Extra-virgin olive oil, Dash; 3 Lemons, quartered; 4 cloves Garlic, crushed; Ground cumin, Sprinkling; Water, fresh, unsalted, as needed; Salt, to taste; Arab bread, to serve; Black pepper, to serve; Chili-pepper flakes, to serve

A traditional Egyptian dish of tender broad beans, gently mashed into their cooking liquid and served with parsley and a tableful of bright, savory dressings.

2 hr 45 min
320 kcal
Vegetarian
Egyptian

Mellowpan tip: This one takes a while. Save it for a slower day, and swap it in when the week allows.

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

Steps

Step 1:
Cook the beans in advance if possible, then reheat them when ready to serve, as cooking time varies with the quality and age of the beans.
Step 2:
Cook the drained beans in a large covered saucepan with fresh unsalted water until tender, adding water as needed to keep them covered and adding salt once the beans have softened.
Step 3:
Simmer gently for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
2 h
Step 4:
When the beans are soft, let the cooking liquid reduce.
Step 5:
Remove one or two ladles of beans and mash them with some of the cooking liquid.
Step 6:
Stir the mashed beans back into the saucepan to thicken the sauce.
Step 7:
Serve the beans in soup bowls, sprinkled with chopped parsley and accompanied by Arab bread.
Step 8:
Set out the extra-virgin olive oil, quartered lemons, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, chili-pepper flakes, and ground cumin so everyone can help themselves.
Step 9:
Eat the beans gently crushed with a fork so they absorb the dressing.
Step 10:
Optional: peel one hard-boiled egg per person and cut it up in the bowl with the beans.
Step 11:
Optional: top the beans with a chopped cucumber-and-tomato salad and thinly sliced mild onions or scallions; alternatively, pass scallions, quartered tomatoes, and cucumbers cut into sticks.
Step 12:
Optional: serve with tahina cream sauce or salad, pickles, and sliced onions soaked in vinegar for 30 minutes.
30 min
Step 13:
Alternatively, serve the ful medames smothered in a garlicky tomato sauce.
Step 14:
In Syria and Lebanon, serve ful medames with yogurt or feta cheese, olives, and small cucumbers.
Step 15:
For a traditional thicker sauce, add a handful of red lentils (1/4 cup) to the water at the start of cooking.
Step 16:
For the Iraqi variation called badkila, use large brown beans instead of small Egyptian beans; it is also sold for breakfast in the street.