This is a famous Lebanese breakfast dish and meze dish, although it is made throughout the Levantine Arab world. This version is very different than the Egyptian one, also famous, and called the Egyptian national dish, which is more like a soupy stew. Although most common for breakfast, Arabs will eat it at any time especially as part of a meze. There are different kinds of fava beans and different cooking times depending on their size and harvesting so you must make sure you use the right kind here. The best fava beans for making fūl are the smaller, rounder ones called fūl hammām (bath beans) by the Egyptians. They should be cooked until soft, there should be no “bite” to them. I regularly find these 27-ounce cans of cooked fūl hammām beans in Middle Eastern markets where they are sold with the name “foul medammas” on the label. These canned fava beans are excellent for this preparation.
- Two 27-ounce cans foul medammas (fava beans)
- 2 large garlic cloves mashed in a mortar with 1 teaspoon salt until mushy
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Finely chopped fresh parsley for a garnish (optional)
- Scallions chopped into ½ -inch lengths as a garnish (optional)
- Place the beans with their liquid in a saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Once the beans have been bubbling gently for 5 minutes, after about 25 minutes in all, drain, mash one-third of the beans and stir them together with the garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Spread on a serving platter and garnish with parsley and scallions, if desired. Drizzle some more olive oil over, if desired (and I do recommend all these garnishes). Serve at room temperature with Arabic flatbread cut in triangles.
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