Ful Medames

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Ful medames, also known as ful, is a fava bean stew flavored with olive oil, cumin, and optionally chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice, chili pepper, and other vegetable, herb, and spice ingredients.

Traditionally, ful medames is made and served in a large metal jug. It is a popular staple food in Egypt and is regarded as a national dish, particularly in the northern cities of Cairo and Gizah.

Ful Medames is basically a popular ingredient in many Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African dishes. It can be enjoyed at any time of day or night. It’s a creamy, fresh, and vibrant meal loaded with seasonings that pack a bold, tangy flavor into each bite, made with fava beans, ground cumin, garlic, and fresh lemon.

Variations of Ful Medames

• Fuul is a breakfast staple in Somalia. It is frequently served with eggs, khubz/ceesh bread, or laxoox/canjeero, a traditional Somali flatbread. It is very similar to Egyptian, Sudanese, and Saudi versions of the dish, but it is usually spicier due to the use of the xawaash spice mixture by Somalis (cumin, coriander, sage, peppercorn, fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and saffron).
• Ful is known as bissara in Morocco and is made of fava beans and split green peas (known locally as jabbana) boiled with garlic and served with cumin and seasoning. It is especially popular in the country’s north and is eaten during the cold winter months.
• Ful is one of the few dishes in Ethiopia (and Eritrea) that is served with wheat flour bread rather than a pancake-like bread called injera. The beans are topped or mixed with an oil-berbere mixture.
• In Malta, the beans are soaked in water overnight, cooked in oil with garlic and fresh or dried mint before being dressed with olive oil or vinegar before serving.
• The dish has also made its way to Malaysia, specifically the state of Johore, and Singapore, where it has been adapted into the local recipe kacang pool, which uses ghee instead of oil and minced meat.
  
  Ful Medames

  Serious Eats

  Print Recipe

  Prep Time 10 minutes mins

  Cook Time 10 minutes mins

  Servings 2

  Equipment

  • Mortar and Pestle

  Ingredients

    

  1x2x3x

  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds freshly toasted
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 15-ounce cans fava beans
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 2 lemons or more to taste

  Instructions

   

  • Put garlic cloves, cumin seeds, and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle and crush until seeds are cracked and garlic is in small, flimsy chunks. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, mince garlic very fine.
  • Empty fava beans (with liquid) into a medium saucepan and combine with tahini and garlic paste. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until liquid retains some brothiness but turns thick and sauce-like, about 5 minutes.
  • Add lemon juice and salt to taste. Mash one third of the beans with a potato masher to thicken if desired, then serve with toasted pita.

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