Ful medames is a traditional Middle-Eastern savory breakfast dish with fava beans! There are many ways to prepare it, but the Syrian style is as a bean salad with fresh tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and sometimes tahini for extra creaminess. I love this style because it is refreshing, light, and perfect on its own or with warm pita bread.
I always usually preferred savory breakfasts to sweet, and this is the perfect filling and simple breakfast option! It takes 15 minutes or less to prepare if you have canned chickpeas and fava beans on hand, and it is great to make in large portions for a Mediterranean brunch with friends or family.
A typical Arabic breakfast consists of a spread of a variety of dishes, and of course, warm pita bread or baguette. On special occasions, for brunch, my family always serves a big plate of ful medames alongside hummus, fresh veggies, zaatar and olive oil, halawa for something sweet, and fresh bread.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do! Don’t forget to comment below if you try this recipe or tag your recreations on Instagram @zenanzaatar! ?
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas
- 2 15 oz. can fava beans
- 2 large tomatoes
- ½ bunch parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼-1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
- Dice tomatoes. Remove stems from parsley stems and chop parsley leaves. Rinse and drain canned fava beans and chickpeas.
- Prepare tahini sauce in a small bowl if using. Adding this will make the dish a little creamier.
- Whisk tahini sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine. Taste and add salt as needed. Top with fresh chopped parsley and serve!
Quite yummy didn’t have Tahiti so used yogurt can’t wait to try with tahini
Great to know! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you for specifying canned favas and showing the brand! Most are unaware that the “broad bean” we are accustomed to calling a fava is very different from the smaller, round fava bean North Africans and Levantines use for variations on this dish. The latter are completely unavailable here. Perhaps you know a source for seed beans, I would love to grow them.
Amazing!
I think this is the best one I’ve tried yet. Thank you for sharing!
yummy. very good for my body, which ever since becoming vegan, struggled with protein intake. i eat before going to the gym to get energy
yay, as a vegan this recipe helped me attain the protein I needed in place of meat. I have started eating this before going to the gym. I have even tried adding some cbd oil to help myself and it didn’t change the taste at all.
Re: not being able to source suitable canned fava beans in the USA.
“California Garden” are good. I use them here (Sydney, Australia), after a Lebanese-Australian restaurateur recommended them. I would think they’d be available there.