Ful Medames with Eggs and Pita

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 35 min
  • Active: 35 min
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.
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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

Directions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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. 
  5. 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.

Let's Get Cooking!

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lrkovach131

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! 

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