Anglo-Egyptian Ful Medames: Spicy Fava Bean Stew
| Hodmedod's version of the classic Egyptian ful medames, which went down very well at the Aldeburgh Food Festival in 2012 when we offered samples to show off the potential of British-grown Whole Fava Beans. |
The national dish of Egypt, ful medames is a delicious spicy stew traditionally eaten for breakfast (and to break fast), often with eggs.
Myriad variations of this dish are cooked across North Africa and the Middle East. Here's the recipe for our version, inspired by the classic Egyptian dish but made with Hodmedod's British-grown beans, of course!
(If you’re pushed for time you could try our 15-minute ful medames.)
Serves 4-6 (ideal for home freezing)
Ingredients
- 500g Whole Dried Fava Beans or 3 to 4 drained cans Whole Fava Beans in Water
- 25g Fresh Coriander
- 10g Fresh Parsley
- ¼ tsp Cayenne
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- 1½ heaped tsp Cumin
- 1½ heaped tsp Sugar (or more to taste)
- 300ml Tomato Passata
- 1 heaped dsp Tomato Paste
- Juice of 1 Large Lemon
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 small Red Onion
- 1 small Chilli
- 50ml Sunflower Oil (plus oil for frying)
- 1 pinch Salt
- Pepper to taste
Method
- If using dried beans, soak them overnight. Drain, place in a pan, cover with plenty of water and cook until tender – about 35 - 40 minutes in a pressure cooker, an hour or more if boiling.
- If using canned beans, simply open the cans, drain and rinse the beans.
- Chop the onion and garlic until very fine (or puree in a food processor), fry gently in a little oil. Meanwhile chop and mix (or blend) the herbs, oil, lemon juice, chilli and spices.
- Add the spice and herb mix to the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the passata and tomato paste plus 100ml of water (use it to wash the remains of the passata out of the jar or packet it came in).
- Cook for a few more minutes and then add the beans, continue to simmer and taste – add sugar, salt and pepper to adjust seasoning. The beans are ready as soon as the seasoning is balanced, though you can leave them to reduce for a thicker sauce.
- Eat straight away and/or cool and freeze in portions. Delicious eaten with pitta bread, tomato salad and a fried egg!
7 Responses
Alun James Davies
I have enjoyed ful medames in Egypt and elsewhere but I do find recipes with 16 ingredients rather challenging – and that’s before the eggs – flatbread and tomatoes that traditionally go with this dish.
Jane Harris
Just cooked this using our home grown coriander and parsley….totally delicious…now off to attempt gluten free flatbreads to go with xx
Siobhan
I got these beans from my zero waste shop. recipe is so good, mine looks nothing like the picture! Really lovely flavours. Based on the previous comments I used half a lemon and 1 tsp of powdered cumin. If anyone is cooking the beans in an IP then eight minutes at normal pressure worked well,having soaked overnight. I did seven mins initially and had a few harder beans, so pressure cooked for another 1 min
Ana
Delicious recipe, and delicious beans!
I would recommend one change. Add lemon later. I found that the lemon and the tomatoes made the dish a bit too sour for me (and I normally really like sour). Therefore, I would maybe add a bit of lemon initially, and then top up later if needed.
Vernard hosford
These are truly great bean to work with, I worked in Africa for years and in particular Sufan, street vendors used to sell the breakfast roll and it was absolutely amazing, highly recommend this as a nutritious meal, so tasty
Paul
Too much cumin, I will try again with just 1/2 tsp
Gill
Worth making the slow way, with rich deep flavours and a hearty consistency. It freezes beautifully, so making up a large potful is both economical and handy. Use for any meal, but especially nice for breakfast, topped with a poached egg and dribbled with chilli sauce.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in Recipes for Pulses, Grains, Seeds, Flakes, Flour, Ferments...
Barley & Lentil Mejadra
Mushy Pea, Parsnip & Potato Cakes
Nick Saltmarsh
Author