Prep and cook time 1 hour
This buttery bean dish served with Eggs Shakshuka cooked in an aromatic tomato sauce are the center-pieces of an Egyptian style Brunch.
Ful Medames is best known as Egypt’s most popular national dish. It has been around for millennia and evidence of the dried beans were reportedly found in pharaonic tombs. It is a hearty stew made of dried fava beans traditionally slow-cooked overnight and served for breakfast with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and garlic.
Falafel of course is also a big favourite but I did not include it because it really takes a long time to make from scratch. The falafel dry mix is not an option for me because most of the dry mixes I have tried taste like what I imagine moist fried sawdust would taste like.
Today we don’t have to slow-cook dried fava beans overnight as the canned Ful Medames available in Middle East grocery stores (and on Amazon) is a good starting point. The side dishes will depend on the season but usually include: “torshi”, which is a mix of pickled vegetables; tahini sauce, to use as a dip with bread or to add to your bowl of ful; a large selection of salad greens herbs including fresh mint, olives, scallions, cherry tomatoes and radishes; plus a generous plate of feta cheese sprinkled with olive oil and Dukkah. The Ful Medames and Eggs Shakshuka should be served warm with lots of toasted pita bread to soak up the juices and sauces.
A veritable feast.
The only drink that complements this satisfying feast is strong, sweet black tea flavored with sprigs of fresh mint. It acts as a soothing digestive.
If you multitask well, you can have everything ready in about an hour. For a feast with such a variety of dishes and flavours I believe it qualifies it as a gourmet quickie!
So during this holiday season, if you decide to brunch like an Egyptian, you will not need to make any dinner plans. You will be too full (pun intended).
You can if you wish pare this down to a ful only breakfast with fewer trimmings which takes twenty minutes to prep and cook.
There are only two dishes to cook for this brunch, the Fava beans (Ful Medames) and the Shakshuka eggs in tomato sauce.
You can cook each dish separately or concurrently if you want to save time. Both dishes start with frying chopped onions so you can have those going in two separate pans. Then follow the recipes below.
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped cherry, grape or vine tomatoes with skin and seeds
- 1 can PLAIN ful medames (Ideally California Garden brand which is more buttery and is available in most Middle Eastern grocery stores or from Amazon).
- ½ can water
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- salt to taste
- A small handfull of coarsely chopped Italian flat parsley or cilantro leaves for granish.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet or straight-sided sauté pan over medium to high heat until shimmering. (about 3 minutes)
- Add chopped onions, stirring frequently until they start to caramelize. (About 5 minutes)
- Reduce heat to medium, then add the garlic and cook for a minute to flavor the oil.
- Add half a cup of finely chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes till they have softened.
- Drain liquid from canned ful, rinse the beans and add to onions and tomato mixture. Add half a cup of water and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes until beans are soft.
- Mash some of the beans and stir so you have a thick sauce.
- Add two teaspoons of ground cumin, salt to taste, plate and garnish with freshly chopped parsley or coriander and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
The Shakshuka
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
- 1 Medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 can Diced tomatoes
- ½ can Water
- 2 tsp Aleppo pepper or red chili flakes to tase( optional)
- 1 tsp Ground turmeric
- 1 Pinch saffron
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak saffron in two tablespoons of boiling water and set aside.
- In a quart saucepan bring some water to a boil. Carefully immerse eggs and cook for 8 minutes then immediately pour cold water to stop the cooking. This will give you perfectly soft boiled eggs. Set aside.
- While the eggs are boiling, heat olive oil in a deep skillet or straight-sided sauté pan over medium to high heat until shimmering. ( 3 minutes)
- Add chopped onions, stirring frequently until they start to caramelize. (About 5 minutes)
- Add chopped garlic.
- Add a can of diced tomatoes, half a can of water and stir to combine.
- Add turmeric, saffron liquid with stamens, chilli or pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.
- When eggs are cooked, peel and add them to the sauce. Plate and serve.
Once you have cooked the dishes, you can prep the Tahini Sauce and the trimmings.
Tahini Sauce
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp sesame tahini paste
- ½ The zest and juice of half a lemon (more to taste)
- 2 tbsp tablespoons water( this will give you a consistency of thick cream. Another tablespoon will give a thinner consistency).
- Salt to taste
- 1 pinch Aleppo pepper or Chilli flakes (optional).
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of tahini paste with the lemon juice. It will start to thicken.
- Gradually add the water till you have the consistency of thick cream.
- Add the crushed garlic, chilli or pepper, salt to taste and serve.
Add trimmings like olives, pickled vegetables, cherry tomatoes, radishes, Persian cucumbers, sprigs of fresh mint, feta cheese sprinkled with Dukha Spice or Za’atar, fresh salad greens and serve at room temperature with flame seared pitta bread.
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