The Egyptian bean stew that fuels my mornings

Egyptian dish ful mudammas sustains millions before fasting begins each day during Ramadan.

Egyptian ful mudammas is eaten for sahoor (the meal before dawn, when fasting begins) during Ramadan. Source: Nihal Abed

I'm awoken by the sound of plates clinking, something bubbling on the stove, and the microwave beeping – a pitch that's not appropriate for 4am. If the neighbour across the road happens to get out of bed right now, he'll see my whole family sitting at the table with a feast before us. He'll see us voraciously scooping up eggs, falafel, cucumber salad and a mysterious brown dip. The thought of him squinting through his window in confusion, then turning to his clock, then back at us again, makes me giggle inside.

While it may look unusual, we are sitting down to suhoor, the pre-dawn meal during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. Suhoor helps to sustain us from dawn until sundown, when we abstain from eating or drinking.

Ful is usually eaten before people start fasting for the day during Ramadan. Source: Nihal Abed

At the centre of many Egyptian suhoor tables is a quintessential plate of ful mudammas (also spelt ful medames or ful medammes). It's a fava bean stew that some think dates back to pharaonic times, although this has been debated. It's basically hummus' darker and hotter cousin, but a key difference is that it's not a snack or a spread, it's a complete meal. Traditionally, it's dressed with plenty of olive oil, lemon and cumin, but families put their own spin on it. There wasn't a single suhoor during my childhood without ful because it's not just delicious, it keeps us going well into the fasting day. We didn't bother with plates, we just had one family-sized dish of piping hot ful, plenty of soft fresh flat bread, and long stalks of spring onion for a little crunch.

There wasn't a single suhoor during my childhood without ful.

As a child, it was fun to miss sleep on a school night just to eat mum's food. But the novelty wore off quickly, and soon I was the last one at the table, willing myself to chew. But suhoor in Egypt is a completely different experience. It's not a chore, but a fun event. It's common to go out with friends for ful or share a 3am meal at a loved one's house. 

Many years ago, I remember standing in my favourite aunt's kitchen in Cairo, the country's capital city. It was 3am but you'd think it was 3pm from the noise outside. I watched her whip up her coveted ful recipe with butter, copious amounts of garlic, tomatoes, herbs and tiny limes that are sweeter than the variety we get in Australia. She could tell I was confused because this wasn't how my mum made ful.

Flavourful, fulfilling ful. Source: Nihal Abed

She reassured me that it would be the best ful I'd ever taste. She did not disappoint. A core memory was formed that day. It was smooth, tangy, creamy and fragrant. I took that delicious recipe home with me. Many years later, it's the same ful recipe I make for my own family during suhoor, and I never tire of their faces lighting up with that first bite.

 

Love the story? Follow the author here: Instagram @tastymothertucker. Photographs by Nihal Abed. Styling by Nihal Abed. Food preparation by Nihal Abed.

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Egyptian ful muddamas

Ful is a fava bean stew that's arguably Egypt's national dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's enjoyed with the family. Place it in the middle of the table and scoop it up with fresh bread. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 50 g salted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 chilli, finely diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 400 g can fava beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp tahini (optional)

Method 

1. In a medium-size pan, sauté the garlic and chilli in the butter for 2 minutes until fragrant. 
2. Before the garlic starts to brown, add the diced tomato and the cumin. Stir for a minute until the tomatoes soften.
3. Pour in the vinegar and the drained fava bean can.
4. Once the beans are warmed through, mash roughly using a fork or a potato masher. Add extra water to help loosen the ful. 
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Finish with lemon juice to taste, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. A drizzle of tahini over the top is optional.
7. Make sides of pickles and fresh vegetables. 
8. Scoop up the ful, pickles and fresh vegetables with fresh bread.

Note

• You can find fava bean cans in Middle Eastern grocers. Get the plain, unflavoured fava bean cans.