A beloved Middle Eastern breakfast

If you’re not from the Middle East, the idea of eating a bowl of stewed fava beans for breakfast might not strike your fancy, at least at first glance. But plenty of cultures start their day with legumes: The Brits love baked beans on toast, lentils show up in many traditional Indian breakfast dishes, refried beans accompany Mexican breakfasts, and so on.

Ful medames, fava beans cooked low and slow until they’re as soft as can be, are beloved in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and elsewhere in the region. In her beautiful 2018 book, “Feast: Food of the Islamic World,” the Lebanon-born author Anissa Helou writes that in Egypt, people take their own pot to a street-food vendor “to have him fill it with ful to eat in the comfort of their home.”

As with so many ubiquitous foods, the recipe varies from country to country (as does the spelling; the first word is sometimes spelled “foul” and the second “mudammas,” among other variations). In a phone conversation from her home in Tuscany, Italy, Helou told me that she remembers eating this nutritious, hearty dish as a teenager in Beirut on late nights out with friends at a 24-hour place that specializes in breakfast foods. She also described street vendors in Egypt cooking the dish overnight

in bulbous copper pots.

But the version she remembers most fondly from her travels around the Middle East is from a chef in Aleppo, Syria: While in Egypt, ful is traditionally mashed and served fairly simply (with pita, tomatoes and onions), this one included two sauces: one made with tahini, garlic and lemon, and the other a diluted chile paste. “I thought his version was much more sophisticated than the usual,” she told me. In “Feast,” Helou offers instruction for both versions.

First, you cook the fava beans — a multi-hour affair, since those tough skins need softening — over low heat so the insides don’t turn to mush while the skins tenderize. Helou’s workaround: Soak the favas with a little baking soda to help soften the skins, then drain and rinse them before cooking in fresh water. (Instead of adding baking soda to the soaking water, some people add the soda to the cooking water for such legumes as favas and chickpeas, but Helou doesn’t like the foam that results, nor the slight soapy taste - and neither do I.)

An even speedier option? The trusty Instant Pot, which makes quick work of all dried beans. When I broached the idea with Helou, expecting her to pooh-pooh it out of an appreciation of tradition, she didn’t miss a beat: “I think it would work.” And it does; in the multicooker, about 45 minutes did the trick for me, but you’ll want to adjust the timing if needed, as beans may take longer to cook the older they are, and their age is usually a mystery.

Once the beans are tender, salt them to taste, then go one of two ways, Egyptian or Syrian. And if you would rather eat these for lunch or dinner than breakfast, I won’t tell a soul. I’ve done it, too.

Ful medames — sometimes spelled ful medammes or foul mudammas — is a hearty fava bean stew eaten in various ways, usually for breakfast, in many parts of the Middle East. This one is the Egyptian-style that author Anissa Helou calls “breakfast par excellence, enjoyed by poor and rich alike, on the street or at home.”

It’s made with whole dried fava beans in their skins; don’t use split favas for this, as they turn to (delicious) mush better suited to dips and soups. Seek out small Egyptian fava beans, not the large ones, soak them overnight with a little baking soda (to help soften the skins), then cook them on the stovetop for a couple of hours or use an Instant Pot for a much quicker path. Helou’s 2018 book “Feast” also includes instructions for a Syrian-style ful; see below for that option.

The favas can be cooked and refrigerated for up to 1 week, then warmed in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop before garnishing and serving.

Ful Medames

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 pound dried whole fava beans with skins, preferably mini, soaked overnight in plenty of water with 1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups water, plus more as needed 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to

taste

3 garlic cloves, grated or pressed Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling 1 medium firm-ripe tomato (31⁄2

ounces), cut into small cubes 3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1⁄4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves,

chopped

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges, for serving Pita bread, for serving

Drain and rinse the favas under cold water. Put in a large pot and add the water, plus more if needed to barely cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, until the beans are very tender and the cooking liquid has thickened. Check after 1 hour or so to make sure the beans are not drying out, and if they are, add just enough boiling water to barely cover them. (You don’t want to add too much or you’ll dilute the dish.) When they’re ready (and not before), stir in the salt.

Alternatively, cook the beans in an Instant Pot: Combine them with the water in the pot, seal the lid, and set the device to high pressure for 1 hour. Release the pressure manually, then check to make sure the beans are very tender. (You shouldn’t need to add more water, because the pot’s tight seal allows for no evaporation.) If they aren’t tender, reseal, set to high pressure for 10 minutes, then release the pressure manually and check again. Repeat until the favas are very tender.

To serve, mash the beans coarsely in the pot, leaving some whole, then mix in the garlic, taste, and season with more salt as needed.

Spoon the beans into one large serving bowl. Drizzle all over with olive oil. Pile the diced tomato in the center of the beans, then sprinkle the scallions and the parsley over. Sprinkle the cumin around the edges of the beans; and serve with the lemon wedges and pita bread.

Scott Suchman / For The Washington Post Ful medames, fava beans cooked low and slow until they’re as soft as can be, are beloved in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and elsewhere in the region.