Ful Medames: Egyptian Fava Bean Stew

Ful medames, Coptic for buried favas, is a dish of mashed fava beans, often eaten at breakfast. The dish consists of Egyptian fava beans, slow cooked with spices, partially or completely mashed, mixed with olive oil, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice, and served with hard-boiled egg, onion, and pita.

Ful Medames: Egyptian Fava Bean Stew

The dish is historically a peasant dish, where the beans would be placed in earthenware and buried under hot coals. Today, the dish is popular across the economic spectrum, having risen to be a de facto Egyptian national dish—and a favorite throughout the Afro-Asiatic region.

Dried fava beans

Egyptian fava beans are a small, brown variant of the broad bean. Seek them out for an authentic dish, but any fava bean will work.

Thinly-sliced red onion and cucumber

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried Egyptian fava beans, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
2 cloves smashed plus 2 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
about 7 cups filtered or spring water
1 teaspoon cumin
6 tablespoons your favorite peppery olive oil
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup finely-chopped scallions, to garnish
sea salt, to taste
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

In a stockpot, combine the fava beans, 2 smashed garlic cloves, bay leaf, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Cover with water by 2 inches. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a heavy simmer. Occasionally skim off any foam that rises to the top. Cook until the beans are tender and any remaining liquid is thick, about 2 hours. Discard the garlic and bay leaf. If the beans are cooked but too much liquid remains, drain and return to the pot.

Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and cumin. Stir well. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Using a potato masher, mash the beans until well integrated but still quite chunky.

Add the olive oil and parsley. Stir to combine.

Plated, garnished, and ready to serve

Spoon into a warmed serving dish. Garnish with scallions. Serve warm with thinly-sliced red onion, cucumber, hard boiled eggs, and warm pita. Pairs well, perhaps surprisingly, with a nutty, saline Spanish manzanilla Sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, Spain.