Easy Foul Mudammas (Fava Bean Dip)

Foul mudammas is a delicious bean dip served with steaming pita, tomatoes, and olive oil. It’s savory, hearty, and super healthy, and you won’t be able to get enough.

Serves: 4 Time: 16 hours Cookbook: Feast

Don’t let the name of this recipe “fool” you! Foul mudammas is a delicious traditional Egyptian breakfast made with fava beans, herbs, and spices, and garnished with fresh tomatoes and olive oil. This dish is perfect for breakfast or as a snack served with warm pita bread. When my wife lived in the Middle East, she would frequently eat this local food from street corner restaurants or pick up a ready-made batch at her local grocery store. It’s still one of her favorites.

Foul mudammas is an ancient dish, dating all the way back to biblical times. It is believed that even the pharaohs themselves loved this simple, healthy, and tasty meal. Today, it’s viewed as the Egyptian national dish of choice. We know that you, too, will enjoy how this warm, savory dip fills and nourishes you, giving you energy for the day without it sitting heavy in your stomach.

In addition to this Egyptian version, you can find Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian recipe versions of the dish, among others. It also goes by different names. Since the spelling can be translated from the Arabic name in several ways, you might see this dish called ful medames, ful mudammas, foul medames, or foul mudammas.

Let’s put on our aprons and get ready to cook something adventurous as we make this classic dish thanks to the guidance of Anissa Helou, a master of Middle Eastern Recipes.

Jump Ahead:

• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients Needed to Make Foul Mudammas
• 🍴 Equipment You’ll Need in the Kitchen
• 🥄 How to Make Foul Mudammas
• ♾️ Variations on Foul Mudammas
• ❓ Foul Mudammas: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Unique: If you’ve never had foul before, now is the time to try it. It’s one of the more unique dishes in the Middle East and everyone has their own recipe.

Delicious: Foul is so good! When we make this it never lasts long in our house. We enjoy it as a meal in of itself, as a snack, or as a side with other Mediterranean dishes.

Healthy: The primary ingredient in this dish is beans which are loaded with protein. Add olive oil and you get healthy fats, then your aromatics, lemon, and tomato, and you’ll incorporate vitamin c and iron into the meal, as well. This is food that will keep you fueled for the day ahead.

Sharable: This dip is made to share and serve family style. It creates a beautiful presentation on the table and is perfect to serve as the main dish or as a side along with other Middle Eastern or Mediterranean dishes.

Ingredients Needed to Make Foul Mudammas

• Fava Beans: Different types of fava beans can be found in grocery stores. You’re looking for about a half pound of whole dry fava beans (also called broad beans) or 2 cans of fava beans. Green fava beans are common in the dry goods section, and if you’re looking for canned, California Garden brand usually has this staple food of the Middle East.
• Baking soda: Just a teaspoon of baking soda will help beans to soften while soaking and speed up the cooking process.
• Salt: Sea salt is perfect for this recipe. You’ll use it to salt the beans and salt the final product to taste.
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves or pre-minced garlic. Garlic powder will work in a pinch if that’s all you have on hand.
• Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is the way to go for this recipe since it’s showcased as a topping.
• Tomato: Any ripe but firm tomato will do. We used cherry tomatoes from our garden but you can also use Roma, beefsteak, or any garden variety the grocery store carries. Just make sure the tomato is nice and ripe. Fresh toppings are the centerpiece of this dish and underripe diced tomatoes won’t be the same.
• Green Onions: Green onions are perfect as an addition to top this delicious dip.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a bright, citrusy flavor you’ll miss if you don’t have it.
• Cumin: Powdered cumin is a powerhouse spice and is used in cuisines around the world. It’s famous for kicking the flavor of a dish up.
• Lemon: You’ll want fresh lemon wedges for garnish so each person can squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice on the dip.
• Pita Bread: Pita is perfect for dipping and serving this delicious fava bean dip. Purchase it locally, from a grocery store, or even make your own pita!

Equipment Needed In the Kitchen

3-Quart Saucepan

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Strainer

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Potato Masher

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Serving Plate

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• 3-Quart Saucepan: Use a 3-quart pan for cooking the beans. 
• Strainer: A large colander works fine. You just need something to rinse and drain the beans in once they’ve soaked.
• Potato Masher: This is needed to mash the beans. If you don’t have a potato masher, you can use a fork but it will take longer to mash the beans. We have this foldable potato masher and love it! This, along with assorted kitchen gadgets, all fit into a drawer since it folds flat!
• Serving Bowl/Plate: This dip is served family-style, so you’ll want a large serving bowl or even a plate with slightly raised edges.

How to Make Foul Mudammas

This delicious bean dip takes a little prep work and forethought, but the end result is well worth it.

Prep the beans

First, soak your dry beans for at least 12 hours (overnight) in plenty of water with a tablespoon of baking soda.

Once they’ve soaked, drain and rinse the beans under cold water. Put the beans in a medium saucepan and pour about 4 cups of water overtop and set it on medium-high heat. When the beans start to boil, reduce the temperature from medium heat to low and let it simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours. If you want a spicy foul, add 2 to 3 chili peppers while the beans cook to infuse them with some spice.

Check the pot each hour to make sure the beans are not drying out. If needed, add a small amount of water to the pot so the beans stay wet. You don’t want to add too much, however, because you won’t drain the beans from this point onward.

When the beans are very tender, add salt to taste. Only salt at the end of the cooking process. If you add salt while they cook, the skins of beans will harden.

Note: If using canned beans, simply heat them and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Put it together

When the beans are cooked and soft, smash them with a potato masher and transfer them into a serving bowl.

Add fresh minced garlic and a pinch of salt (if needed) and mix everything together. Then set up the serving bowl as follows:

1. Drizzle olive oil over the beans.
2. Add diced fresh tomato to the center.
3. Sprinkle diced green onions and parsley over the top.
4. Add cumin around the edges.

Serve warm with some lemon wedges, pita bread for dipping, and kibbeh on the side. Don’t know how to make kibbeh? Try this kibbeh recipe from a friend of ours in the food blogging world. Enjoy!

Variations on Foul Mudammas

This dish is essentially a mashed bean dip meant to be served with bread. The technique in this recipe can be applied to many different types of beans. Here are a few ideas:

White Bean Foul: White beans (also known as navy beans) make a great substitution for fava beans here. Follow the recipe as described but with white beans instead.

Chick Pea Foul: Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are very good when ground into a paste with aromatics and olive oil. To make a more coarse version of humus, follow the recipe as described with dry chickpeas instead of fava beans.

Black Bean Foul: For a South American twist, substitute dried black beans for the fava beans and follow the recipe as described.

Foul Mudammas: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

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