Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Egyptian · Middle Eastern

Ful medames

Vegetarian

فول مدمس · fūl mudammas

Dried fava beans cooked low and slow until creamy, then crushed with garlic, cumin, lemon and olive oil. Egypt's everyday breakfast, scooped up with flatbread.

Ful medames is an Egyptian main course, ready in about 14 hours 40 minutes and made with fava beans (dried) and olive oil. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
2 h 30 min
Total
14 h 40 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
310

Plus about 12 hours soaking the beans.

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Drain, put in a heavy pan with fresh water to cover by 5 cm and bring to the boil.

  2. Step 2

    Cover and cook at the gentlest simmer, topping up with hot water as needed, until the beans are completely soft and creamy. A pressure cooker cuts this to about 45 minutes.

    • 140 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Drain off all but a little of the cooking liquid. Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), salt and lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and crush the beans roughly with a masher.

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Spoon into bowls, pour over a generous amount of olive oil (opens in a new tab) and top with tomato (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab), chilli and tahini (opens in a new tab) as you like. Serve with flatbread.

    • 3 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Egypt · Well documentedAlso popular in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, YemenMore food from Egypt
Dish
Breakfast · Brunch · Main courses · Stews & braises
Cooking method
Slow-cooked, Simmered
Taste
earthy, garlicky, tangy, creamy
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein · High-fibre
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · High-fibre · DASH-style · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Fava beans (dried) · Garlic · Cumin · Lemon juice
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom pita bread
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom pita bread
  • Contains, can be adapted: Sesamefrom tahini, pita bread

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

310 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 163 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 21%
  • Carbohydrate 48%
  • Fat 32%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy310 kcal190 kcal
Protein16.6 g10.2 g
Carbohydrate38.1 g23.4 g
Net carbohydrate22.4 g13.7 g
Sugars3.9 g2.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre15.8 g9.7 g
Fat11.2 g6.9 g
Saturated fat1.6 g1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium594 mg364 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
693 mg
Calcium
82 mg
Iron
4.6 mg
Magnesium
125 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
2 µg
Vitamin C
6 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
267 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: tomato, parsley, green chilli, tahini, pita bread.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Canned ful saves hours: warm it with a little water and season the same way.

Serve with

  • With flatbread, falafel (ta'ameya), pickles, boiled eggs and fresh vegetables.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen (unseasoned).

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water before adding the oil and toppings.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like

  • Tasty Mediterranean falafel bowl with fresh greens, a lemon slice, and hummus.

    Falafel

    Middle Eastern · 13 h 15 min · 432 kcal · Vegan

  • A serving of Koshary

    Koshari

    Egyptian · 1 h 5 min · 533 kcal · Vegan

  • Close-up of a delicious hummus dish garnished with lemon, tomato, and rice cakes.

    Hummus

    Levantine · 15 min · 274 kcal · Vegan