Ful Medames (Egyptian Fava Bean Breakfast)
Egypt's classic breakfast: creamy fava beans partially mashed and dressed with cumin, garlic, lemon, and olive oil, topped with tomato, parsley, onion, and hard-boiled egg. Ready in 25 minutes with canned beans.
Ingredients
For the Ful
- 2 cans fava beans, with their liquid 15 oz each
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the Toppings
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
To Serve
- Warm pita bread or flatbread
Instructions
- Warm the beans: Pour the fava beans with their liquid into a saucepan. Simmer gently over medium heat for 10 minutes until heated through.
- Mix the dressing: Combine the garlic paste, cumin, salt, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Mash: Drain most of the liquid, reserving a few spoonfuls. Mash the beans with a fork until about half are broken down; stir in reserved liquid as needed for a thick, spoonable texture.
- Dress: Stir the dressing through the warm beans. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.
- Serve: Spoon into a shallow dish, top with tomato, parsley, onion, and egg halves, drizzle generously with olive oil, and serve warm with pita.
Notes
For dried beans: soak 1 1/2 cups small dried fava beans overnight, simmer 60-90 minutes until tender, then follow the recipe from step 2.
Ful thickens in the fridge; loosen with warm water when reheating.
Mash by hand, never blend, to keep the traditional rustic texture.