Have you had enough of dairy products and eggs for breakfast? Are you looking for a breakfast meal that is both vegan and satisfying at the same time? If so, come check this recipe then. Whenever you want a 100 percent vegan and hearty breakfast, this Ful Medames Recipe must be your absolute destination.
Ful Medames or stewed fava beans is a dairy-free and eggless dish that is traditionally Egyptian and stands out as a complete and rich breakfast by itself. Prepared with few ingredients in a very short time, the ful medames dip is easy to make and yields a hearty meal. Here, I chose to make it the Palestinian style with some variations from the original Egyptian preparation method.
Wondering what the name means? Well, ful medames or foul mudammas is the literal Arabic translation of mashed fava beans. Ful which reads same as fool means fava beans while medames indicates the way the beans are cooked.
A Vegan Breakfast Mix
Ful Medames from Scratch
Instead of using canned kidney beans, you can prepare this ful medames recipe from scratch. First, soak the dried fava beans in water, and leave them soaked overnight.
On the following day, drain and rinse the beans that have swollen and plumped up. After that, place the dried beans in a large pot, and cover them with water. Make sure that the water is 3-4 inches higher than the beans.
Now, place the pot on high fire, and bring the ful to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low. Let the beans simmer and cook for an hour or more until they become soft. Occasionally, check for hydration, and add water when needed.
When the ful is well-cooked, you can use it immediately to prepare ful medames. Otherwise, you can refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze it in zip-lock bags or airtight containers with its liquid for up to 3 months.
Of course, you can save yourself all of this work, especially if you’re in a hurry. Simply use a can of cooked fava beans as I did in this recipe.
Ful Medames: That’s All I Want for Breakfast
Tips and Tricks
Instead of sprinkling the fresh chopped vegetables over the ful, you can serve them in a side dish, leaving this to personal taste.
Some people like this recipe even more sour, so they add a squeeze of a lemon to the ful once it is cooked and before mashing it.
While heating the fava beans, the liquid might dry out. So keep checking the ful. If you find it dehydrated, add some water to rehydrate it.
Don’t over-mash the ful. The perfect texture is to have a combination of mashed, semi-mashed, and unmashed beans.
Middle Easterners generally use this recipe as a dip with pita bread. In addition to chopped parsley, tomatoes, and green onions, they serve it with other additives. Some of them put a dish of chopped mint, radishes, pickles, or cucumbers with the ful medames.
Ful Medames, A Breakfast Sunshine
Frequently Asked Questions (FQAs)
You can store the leftover stewed fava beans or ful medames in the refrigerator, wrapped and sealed, for up to 3 days.
This is not recommended since the recipe contains fresh garlic which becomes spongy and bitter after being thawed.
Well, fresh beans have a short season, and you may not find them everywhere. If you can find dried fava beans in your region, you can prepare them from scratch. Check out the above section for more details.
An Energizing Morning Fuel
What You Need to Prepare Ful Medames
Fava Beans: It usually comes in cans of different sizes. The beans are cooked and soaked in a liquid.
Salt: Add salt based on the indicated amount in the recipe card or as you desire.
Cumin: This is the main seasoning that relates to the ful medames recipe giving it its distinct and delectable flavor.
Garlic: You can mash the cloves together with the beans or add them ground to the beans before mashing them.
Olive Oil: You mix some of it with the chopped vegetables and drizzle the rest over the final plate.
Roma Tomato: It has to be small in size. This type of tomato adds a lemony taste to the ful.
Parsley: Chopped parsley is put as a garnish on top of the ful.
Green Onion: It has to be chopped. It alongside parsley gives a palatable taste and a decorative touch to the plate of ful medames.
How to Make Ful Medames
Preparing this ful medames recipe can’t be easier, especially since the fava beans are already cooked.
First of all, heat fava beans in liquid with garlic for 2-3 minutes until they become soft and bubbly. Keep the beans soaked in their liquid while heating them.
Next, add cumin and salt, and then mash the garlic and beans to your liked consistency.
After that, mix in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and most of the chopped vegetables, leaving some for garnish.
Then, drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil on top of the fava beans dish.
Finally, top the dish with some Tatbeeleh or Shatta (spicy sauce). You can find out how to prepare this delectable sauce in this link: Palestinian Tatbeeleh (Shatta) (Spicy Sauce)
A Mood Booster
Must-Try Recipes:
Middle Eastern Kidney Bean Beef Stew
Middle Eastern Cheese Fatayer (Cheese Pies)
Middle Eastern Mint Tea (Shai Bi Na’Na)
Palestinian Purslane Stew Recipe
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Ful Medames Recipe (Stewed Fava Beans)
Ingredients
- 1 can fava beans with liquid
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt or as desired
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 small roma tomato
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons green onion
- Shatta (spicy sauce) as per personal taste
Instructions
- Heat fava beans in liquid with garlic for 2-3 minutes until it becomes soft and bubbly.
- Keep the beans soaked in their liquid while heating them.
- Add cumin and salt.
- Mash the garlic and beans to your liked consistency.
- Mix in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, most of the chopped vegetables leaving some for garnish.
- Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil on top of the fava beans dish.
- Top the dish with some Tatbeeleh or Shatta (spicy sauce).
Notes
- Instead of sprinkling the fresh chopped vegetables over the ful, you can serve them in a side dish, leaving it to personal taste.
- Some people like this recipe even more sour, so they add a squeeze of a lemon to the ful once it is cooked and before mashing it.
- While heating the fava beans, the liquid might dry out. So keep checking the ful. If you find it dehydrated, add some water to rehydrate it.
- Don’t overmash the ful. The perfect texture is to have a combo of mashed, semi-mashed, and unmashed beans.
- Middle easterners generally use this recipe as a dip with pita bread. In addition to chopped parsley, tomatoes, and green onions, they serve it with other additives. Some of them put a dish of chopped mint, radishes, pickles, or cucumbers with the ful medames.
I always had a hard time finding a foul recipe that tasted authentic and restaurant quality, but THIS recipe is it! So yummy and perfect for breakfast or brunch.