Go Back
Ful medames recipe: Gina's animated figure pouring a drizzle of golden olive oil over the finished dish in a bright home kitchen, smiling with obvious satisfaction

Gina's Ful Medames — Cairo's Ancient Breakfast, Made in Your Kitchen

Gina brings Cairo home with this deeply savory, slow-simmered ful medames — Egypt's legendary fava bean breakfast — ready in under an hour with pantry staples and real technique.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 bowls
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cans (15 oz each) fava beans, drained and rinsed small fava beans preferred; large ones can be roughly mashed
  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil plus extra for serving
  • 3 cloves garlic pressed or very finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 cup water plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 large lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped, for serving
  • 4 large eggs hard-boiled, sliced, for serving — optional but traditional
  • 4 pieces warm flatbread or pita for serving

Method
 

  1. Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant — you'll smell them bloom.
  2. Add the drained fava beans and the water. Stir to combine, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the beans simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add a splash more water if the pan looks dry.
  3. Using the back of a spoon or a fork, roughly mash about one-third of the beans directly in the pot. You want a mix of creamy mashed beans and whole beans — not a uniform paste. This is what gives ful medames its characteristic thick, scoopable texture.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the raw garlic, lemon juice, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust — more lemon if you want brightness, more salt if it needs lifting.
  5. Ladle into bowls. Drizzle generously with additional olive oil (do not be shy here). Top with fresh parsley and sliced hard-boiled egg if using. Serve immediately with warm flatbread alongside.

Notes

Canned fava beans vary in size and saltiness by brand — rinse them well and taste before adding salt. If you can find small peeled fava beans (sometimes labeled 'ful medames ready'), those are closest to the Egyptian street-cart texture and require less mashing.