Humble ful medames is one of the most popular home-cooked recipes throughout the Middle East. It’s served for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but is considered a national dish in Egypt. Traditionally made with dried fava beans, this version uses canned as a shortcut.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 14-ounce cans fava beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, plus torn leaves for topping
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced
- 4 large eggs
- 4 pieces pita, toasted and cut into wedges
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and half of the onion; season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the cumin. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the fava beans and 1 1/4 cups water to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Mash the beans slightly with a potato masher or a large serving fork, leaving some of the beans whole. Add an additional 1/4 cup water if the beans are too stiff; they should have the consistency of a thick stew.
- Combine the jalapeño, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until fine. Stir the mixture into the beans and season with more salt and pepper. Stir together the remaining onion, the tomato and cucumber in a bowl.
- Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and gently slip into the simmering water. Cook until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to the desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Divide the bean mixture among bowls. Top with the poached eggs and tomato-cucumber mixture; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with the pita wedges.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 600 |
| Total Fat | 25 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 4 grams |
| Cholesterol | 185 milligrams |
| Sodium | 954 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 68 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 12 grams |
| Protein | 23 grams |
| Sugar | 4 grams |
Reviews
This dish was very easy and fun to prepare. I couldn’t find fava beans anywhere so I used Great Northern beans instead. And, instead of jalapenos, I used green chilis. The rest remained the same. It was delicious and nutritious!