Egyptian Ful Medames, the Way the Carts Make It
Ful medames is fava beans simmered very slowly for a long time — six to eight hours, or an hour in a pressure cooker — until soft enough to crush easily. The flavour comes from the dressing rather than the cooking: olive oil, cumin, lemon and tomato.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 790 min
- Calories
- 290
Ful medames is the cheapest and most filling breakfast in Egypt, and the taste people are addicted to doesn't come from the beans. It comes from how they're dressed at the table. The beans cook plain; everything else happens in the bowl.
Method
-
1
Soaking
Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. They will roughly double in size.
⏱ 720 min -
2
The slow cook
Simmer them in fresh water covering them by four fingers, over the lowest possible heat. The traditional method takes six to eight hours; a pressure cooker does it in fifty minutes.
⏱ 55 min -
3
Draining
Once they're soft enough to crush between your fingers, drain them, keeping some of the cooking water to adjust the texture.
⏱ 5 min -
4
Dressing
In the bowl: mash some of the beans and leave the rest whole. Add the olive oil, cumin, lemon, garlic and salt and stir, then finish with the tomato and chilli.
⏱ 6 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Don't salt the beans before they soften — it toughens the skins.
- Bicarbonate speeds up cooking, but a small pinch is enough; too much tastes soapy.
- Mash only half the batch — the contrast between mashed and whole is the point.
People also ask
My beans stayed hard.
They either weren't soaked long enough or were salted too early. Soak for twelve hours and only salt after they've softened.
Can I use tinned beans?
Yes, and it saves hours. Heat them in their liquid and dress them as usual — the flavour is very close.
How long do they keep?
Plain cooked beans keep four days in the fridge and two months frozen. Dress them only at serving.
Cook mode
Egyptian Ful Medames, the Way the Carts Make It
-
1
Soaking
Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. They will roughly double in size.
-
2
The slow cook
Simmer them in fresh water covering them by four fingers, over the lowest possible heat. The traditional method takes six to eight hours; a pressure cooker does it in fifty minutes.
-
3
Draining
Once they're soft enough to crush between your fingers, drain them, keeping some of the cooking water to adjust the texture.
-
4
Dressing
In the bowl: mash some of the beans and leave the rest whole. Add the olive oil, cumin, lemon, garlic and salt and stir, then finish with the tomato and chilli.
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