How to Make Foul Mudammas – A Classic Middle Eastern Fava Bean Dish
Foul Mudammas (also spelled Ful Medames) is a beloved Middle Eastern dish made with slow-cooked fava (aka faba) beans, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and warming spices. Traditionally enjoyed as a savory breakfast across Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, this dish is hearty, nutritious, and surprisingly easy to make. Naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free, Foul Mudammas is packed with plant-based protein, fiber, and bold Mediterranean flavor. Learn how to make this traditional fava bean recipe, along with cooking tips, serving suggestions, and its cultural significance.
If you’ve ever had a chance to enjoy this classic, plant-based comfort food dish made of dried fava beans, you probably loved it! While it’s served traditionally for breakfast in Middle Eastern countries, I’ve spied foul mudammas in a variety of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants and markets in California as a delicious dish at breakfast, as well as lunch or dinner. Indeed, this hearty, budget-friendly dish is packed with savory flavors, as well as powerful nutrients. The secret of making foul mudammas starts with the simple bean.
How to Serve Foul Mudammas + A Bit of History
Foul Mudammas is traditionally served warm, often drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with chopped parsley, fresh tomatoes, diced onions, olives, and chopped cucumbers. I like to serve it with cultured plant-based yogurt. It’s commonly enjoyed with warm pita bread and pickled vegetables. In Egypt, it’s a breakfast staple found in street carts and home kitchens alike, while in the Levant, it’s a popular mezze dish served at all times of day. Whether you’re enjoying it for a hearty brunch or a satisfying dinner, Foul Mudammas is a delicious and nourishing way to bring the flavors of the Middle East to your table.
While I love traditional global flavors, I am not a true expert in Middle Eastern foodways. I encourage you to seek out the knowledge of my colleague Rahaf Al Bochi, RDN, who is an expert in this field.
What are Fava Beans?
Fava beans (also called faba beans or broad beans) are delicious pulses which are very easy to grow at home, though you can find them in farmers markets and well stocked supermarkets. In fact, I grow fava beans in my garden each year, and they reseed themselves the following year. You can enjoy fava beans fresh in their immature “green” form, or prepare them from dried fava beans by cooking them as you would other pulses, like black beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas. You can find dried fava beans at well-stocked supermarkets, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern markets, or online. You can also skip the dried fava beans—which must be rehydrated by soaking overnight and cooking for about 1 hour—and use canned fava beans, which require no soaking or cooking and are also available in the same venues. Look for large, whole, brown fava beans for this recipe. Note that dried, large mature fava beans can have a tough outer peel or hull. Some people prefer removing the hull before cooking this dish, but the results will be different. Traditionally, the hull is left intact during the cooking process for this recipe. Learn more about how to make this recipe in the step-by-step guide below.
Step-by-Step Guide
Description
Learn how to make Foul Mudammas, a healthy vegan fava (aka faba) bean recipe packed with flavor. Gluten-free, high-protein, delicious, and easy to prepare!
Fava Beans:
Toppings, as desired:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 chili pepper, sliced
- 2 small cucumbers, sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup fresh coarsely chopped parsley
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 cup olives, drained
- 1 cup plant-based cultured yogurt, plain, unsweetened (i.e., almond, oat, soy)
- 4 pita breads, cut in half (to make 8 halves)
- Place fava beans in a large pot and cover with water. Soak overnight (about 8 hours) and drain water. If desired, remove the outer hulls of the beans (see more information below).
- Add 7 cups water to beans in pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until tender, about 1 hour. (If you remove the outer hulls of the beans, reduce the cooking time to about 40 minutes.) Stir occasionally. Replace any water lost to evaporation to avoid burning. Drain any excess liquid, cover, and set aside.
- In a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven (2-3 quarts capacity), heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, chili pepper, and cumin and toast for 2 minutes. Add fava beans, salt, and lemon juice. Using a potato masher, mash the beans to create a coarsely mashed texture, adding additional water (up to 1 cup, as needed) to create a smooth, thick texture. Heat while stirring for about 5 minutes, until thickened and bubbling.
- Serve fava beans as desired with toppings, such as drizzled olive oil, sliced chili pepper, cucumber slices, chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley, chopped onion, olives, cultured yogurt, and pita bread.
- Makes 8 servings.
Notes
Dried mature fava beans can have a thick outer peel or hull. Some people prefer removing the hull before cooking the beans. After soaking dried bean, the hull can be removed more easily. If you remove the hull, you will have a lighter colored finished product. See photos above. It’s not essential to remove the hull.
Substitute canned fava beans (2 15-ounce cans) for dried, cooked beans by skipping steps 1-2 and adding canned beans in step 3.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Entrée, breakfast, dinner, comfort food
- Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern cuisine
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 152
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 6 g
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 9 g
Top 10 Mediterranean Recipes
For other delicious recipes from the Mediterranean, check out some of my favorites.
Chickpea Tabbouleh
Easy Oven Baked Falafel
BEST Classic Hummus
Easy Vegan Yogurt Dressing
Vegan Lentil Kofta with Tzatziki
Greek Black Eyed Peas Vegan Meatballs
Easy Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
Mujadara with Prunes and Yogurt Cucumber Sauce
Greek Butter Bean Salad
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information about affiliate links, click here.
