Foul Mudammas: Fava beans in a thick, flavorful sauce
Ramadan was in September this year. It moves a little earlier each year, since the timing is based on a lunar calendar, and in the fall the daylight hours start to get fairly long. A couple weeks ago I was on the hunt for something filling to eat in the morning before fasting, which made me think of making foul.
Foul mudammas is a saucy bean dish, traditionally served for breakfast. It originated in Egypt, but most Arab countries have adopted some variation of foul. Some cultures rely more on the bean as the dominant flavor, adding minimal amounts of extra flavoring, and some use heavily mashed beans, almost like refried beans. I prefer the kind that has mostly whole beans, with onions, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs to flavor the sauce.
Generally, foul is made using fava beans but my dad likes to make it with chickpeas instead. I've had it both ways, and each type of bean contributes a distinct flavor, but each works equally well. I think that using fava beans leads to a slightly creamier, heavier dish than using chickpeas. I even found a variety of canned foul that has both chick peas and fava beans together, but I haven't tried it yet.
Canned fava beans can be a bit hard to find in a standard grocery store, but any store stocking Middle Eastern ingredients will have them. If you're in San Francisco, Semiramis is a convenient shop to check out. The cans are labeled "foul mudammas" in Arab groceries and sometimes contain additional spices and flavorings. For this recipe, I usually buy the plain variety, which contains salt and sometimes a bit of lemon.
While foul is traditionally a breakfast dish, I think it also makes for a great, quick lunch. I like eating it with a loaf of pita bread, using the bread to soak up the extra sauce. You can also sprinkle some olive oil on top to make it a little richer. Hope you enjoy!
(serves 2-3)
1 can chickpeas, or fava beans (labeled foul mudammas in Arabic groceries)
3-4 cloves garlic
3/4 - 1 cup finely chopped onions, about 1/2 onion
3 small, or 2 large tomatoes, chopped
1-2 Tbsp lemon, the juice of about 1/2 of a lemon (Note that you'll want to tone this back a bit if your canned foul already has lemon in it.)
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, or parsley
Add the beans, with liquid from the can, garlic, and onions to a small pot. Heat on medium-low until it comes to a slow simmer.
After 10 minutes, begin to crush some of the beans with the back of a spoon, mixing and crushing until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. I probably crush about 1/4 cup of the beans, until the sauce looks less watery and just begins to thicken.
Add the chopped tomatoes and lemon. Start conservatively with the lemon, and adjust the flavors to taste. The tomatoes are sweet, and the lemon balances this out, so you may want more or less lemon depending on what kind of tomatoes you are using.
Finally, add the cilantro (or parsley) and remove from the heat. Ladle some foul into a bowl, and optionally garnish with a bit of extra olive oil. Enjoy with some toasted pita bread.