Authentic Arabic & Levantine Recipes
Ful Medames Recipe: Warm Spiced Fava Beans with Tahini and Olive Oil
Ful medames is the quintessential Egyptian and Levantine breakfast dish of tender cooked fava beans gently crushed in their broth and dressed with garlic, lemon juice, cumin and tahini. It is served piping hot in a shallow bowl topped with diced tomatoes, parsley and extra-virgin olive oil.
Also known as:Foul mudammas recipeMiddle Eastern fava bean breakfastSyrian and Egyptian ful
Servings4
Prep time10 min
Cook time10 min
Ingredients
Add all ingredients to cart- 2 tins cooked fava beans / ful medames (400 g each)
- 3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
- Juice of 1 large lemon and 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 tsp ground cumin and salt to taste
- 1 ripe tomato, finely diced, and 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of sumac or paprika to serve
Preparation Steps
- 1Empty the fava beans with half their tin liquid into a saucepan and simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes until the beans and skins are completely soft and piping hot.
- 2In a small bowl, whisk together the crushed garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt and tahini, then thin with 3 tbsp of the hot bean broth until smooth and pourable.
- 3Take the pan off the heat, roughly mash about half of the beans with a fork or potato masher so the broth thickens, and stir in the lemon-tahini dressing.
- 4Spoon the hot ful into a wide serving bowl, scatter with the diced tomato, chopped parsley and a pinch of cumin, pool olive oil on top and serve with warm Arabic bread, spring onions and pickles.
