Ful medames
Mashed Fava Beans with Lemon, Garlic, Cumin and Onion Salad
Ful medames is cooked fava beans mashed with lemon, garlic and cumin, a breakfast staple across Egypt. This version is topped with a sumac onion salad and an avocado and tomato salsa.
A travel guide names ful medames as a key Egyptian dish, and a May 2026 guide prices it at 20 to 60 Egyptian pounds.
The authors simmer tinned fava beans 5 minutes, mash them with lemon juice, garlic, chilli and cumin, and top with onion and salsa.
Ingredients
For the beans
- 3 tins of 400 g cooked fava beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 litre water
- 4 tbsp lemon juice (from 2 lemons, in all)
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 serrano or jalapeño chilli, seeded and minced
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Salt
For the onion salad
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 tsp sumac
- 15 g chopped parsley
For the salsa
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
To serve
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 4 soft-boiled eggs, optional
- Warm pitta bread
Method
- Simmer the beans Bring the water to the boil, add the beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, keeping 45 ml of the liquid.
- Mash Return the beans to the pan with the reserved liquid, 2 tbsp lemon juice, the garlic, chilli, cumin and 3/4 tsp salt. Mash roughly with a fork.
- Make the onion salad Toss the onion with 1/4 tsp salt, leave for 10 minutes, then mix in the sumac and parsley.
- Make the salsa Mix the avocado and tomato with the remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Assemble Put the beans on a platter and make a shallow well in the middle. Spoon in the salsa, top with the onion salad and drizzle with the olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges, eggs if using, and warm pitta.
Food safety
If serving eggs, cook them until the whites are set and the yolks thick. Cool leftover beans quickly and reheat until piping hot.
Leave out the salsa for a plainer Egyptian style.