Ful medames, a vegetarian recipe from Egypt

Name: Ful medames
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Egypt
Ingredients: 350 g whole dried fava beans (ful hammam), soaked overnight; 4 garlic cloves; 1½ tsp ground cumin; Juice of 2 lemons; 5 tbsp olive oil; 2 tomatoes, finely diced; 1 small red onion, finely chopped; 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1 tsp salt; Chilli powder, to taste

Ful medames

Local name: فول مدمس

This ful medames recipe slow-simmers fava beans crushed with cumin, lemon and garlic under a pool of olive oil: Egypt's national breakfast.

Published on 10 March 2026·Updated on 26 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#fava beans#cumin#lemon#breakfast#budget

Method

Drain the beans, cover generously with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim, then simmer gently for 80 to 90 minutes, until they crush between two fingers.
Pound the garlic with the salt to a smooth paste, in a mortar or under the flat of a knife.
Drain the beans, keeping a ladleful of their cooking water, and return them to the pan off the heat.
Add the salted garlic, cumin and lemon juice, then crush roughly with a masher: leave at least half the beans whole so the texture stays rustic.
Loosen with a little cooking water to a soft, spoonable consistency, and adjust the salt and lemon.
Tip into a shallow bowl, make a well in the centre and fill it with olive oil.
Cover with tomato, red onion and parsley, dust with cumin and chilli, and serve piping hot.

Ful is eaten at first light in Egypt, often from a copper pot left overnight on embers. Long, gentle cooking is essential: whole fava beans do not forgive impatience.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use tinned broad beans?

Yes, but rinse them and warm them through with a splash of water before mashing, since they are already cooked and need none of the 90 minutes. The texture will be more uniform, as home-cooked beans finish at different degrees of tenderness.

My beans are still hard after an hour and a half. Why?

Old dried beans can simply refuse to soften, and lemon added at the start slows things further; salt is not the culprit. Add the lemon only after cooking, as the method does, and keep simmering.

Should I mash everything smooth?

No, leave at least half the beans whole. Ful is meant to be rough: some mashed beans to bind, plenty still recognisable in the spoon. Puree it smooth and it turns into something closer to hummus.

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Ful medames

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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