Ful Medames (fava beans)

Name: Ful Medames (fava beans)
Total time: 330 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Arab
Ingredients: For the beans:; 2 cups dried baladi fava beans (about 400 g), soaked in plenty of water 12 hours, changing the water once or twice; ¼ cup yellow or red lentils (for creaminess and a light colour); 1 tomato, ½ small onion and 3 whole garlic cloves; 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp turmeric and 1 tsp sugar; Juice of ½ lemon and a strip of its peel; Boiling water to cover the beans by 2 cm, and salt after cooking; For the dressing (dakka):; 3 cloves garlic, crushed, and the juice of 1 lemon; 3 tbsp olive oil or Egyptian hot oil; ½ tsp cumin, chili flakes or hot pepper to taste, and salt; To serve:; 2 tbsp tahini (optional), chopped tomato, parsley and green onions; Baladi bread and pickles

Recipe No.: A-9

Arab330 minServes 6

Ful medames is the king of Egyptian breakfast: beans cooked in a tightly sealed pot over very low heat for hours until creamy, served with olive oil or hot oil, cumin and lemon. It is said the pot used to be buried in the ashes of public bath ovens overnight, and that the name comes from tadmees, meaning burying, though this is a tradition rather than a documented fact. It is eaten with ta'ameya, baladi bread and pickles.

Ingredients for Ful Medames

For the beans
2 cupsdried baladi fava beans (about 400 g), soaked in plenty of water 12 hours, changing the water once or twice
¼ cupyellow or red lentils (for creaminess and a light colour)
1tomato, ½ small onion and 3 whole garlic cloves
1 tspcumin, ½ tsp turmeric and 1 tsp sugar
½Juice of lemon and a strip of its peel
2 cmBoiling water to cover the beans by, and salt after cooking
For the dressing (dakka)
3 clovesgarlic, crushed, and the juice of 1 lemon
3 tbspolive oil or Egyptian hot oil
½ tspcumin, chili flakes or hot pepper to taste, and salt
To serve
2 tbsptahini (optional), chopped tomato, parsley and green onions
Baladi bread and pickles

Method

Rinse the soaked beans well and drain.
Put it in a damassa, clay or heavy pot with the lentils, tomato, onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, sugar, lemon juice and peel.
Pour boiling water to cover the beans by 2 cm, leave headspace at the top and never add cold water.
Bring to a boil, then seal the pot tightly (with a cloth under the lid) and cook on the lowest heat 5 to 6 hours (or about 1¼ hours in a pressure cooker), opening it as little as possible so it does not darken.
Add hot water if needed so it never dries, remove the lemon peel and check the beans are creamy.
Mash a third of the beans with a wooden spoon for a thick texture and add salt to taste.
For the dressing: warm the oil slightly, add the garlic for a few seconds, then the cumin, chili, salt and lemon.
Spoon the hot beans into a deep dish, pour the dressing over, top with tahini, tomato and parsley and serve with baladi bread and pickles.

Try the interactive Chef Meerath on the main site · هذه الوصفة بالعربية