Ful Medames

Method

1. Prepare the toppings first: cut the tomato into 1 cm dice, chop the red onion very finely, chop the parsley leaves and thinly slice the green chilli. Peel the garlic.

2. Tip the fava beans with their liquid into a 16 cm pot, add the water and set over medium heat. When the edges start to bubble, lower to low heat and warm for 6 min, scraping the bottom now and then because it catches easily. The beans are ready when they are hot right through and squash easily under a finger.

   Add in this stepCanned fava beans (ful), with their liquid 400 gWater 4 tbsp

   medium heat→low heat

3. Put the garlic on a board, sprinkle with the salt and crush it with the flat of a knife into a smooth paste; the salt grinds it as you press. Turn off the heat, add the garlic paste and cumin to the pot and mash about half the beans with a potato masher or fork. Stir in the lemon juice and olive oil and taste. It should be thick but still slide slowly off a spoon; if too stiff, add water a spoonful at a time.

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves 1Salt ½ tspGround cumin 0.6 tspLemon juice 1½ tbspExtra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp

4. Warm the pita in a dry pan on medium heat for 1 min per side, until soft and slightly puffed.

   Add in this stepPita bread (or Egyptian baladi bread) 2

   medium heat

5. Spoon the ful into shallow bowls, make a little well in the middle with the back of a spoon and pour in the rest of the olive oil generously. Top with tomato, red onion, parsley and chilli, sprinkle with a pinch of cumin and serve with the warm bread, tearing off pieces to scoop it up.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 1 tbspTomatoes (medium) 1Red onion ¼Flat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 tbspGreen chilli (optional) ½Ground cumin ¼ tsp