⚠️ Heads-up: 3 of these ingredients (Tahini, Olive Oil (UK supermarket), Lemon (UK supermarket)) are not in our shop yet. Request them → or grab from a UK supermarket while we source.
“Foul is breakfast in every Egyptian house I have ever been in. The brown clay pot, the dollop of tahini, the squeeze of lemon, the cumin that hits the nose first — that is home. Every grandmother insists hers is the best. They are all right.”
— Dr Hany, Zambahola
— Dr Hany, Zambahola
🎤 Recipe credit: The video below is by Chef Gaber (Cooking Secrets) — we don’t reproduce the chef’s recipe text. Our notes are written from scratch with metric/cup conversions and UK substitutes for our diaspora and UK readers. Watch the original on the Cooking Secrets – Chef Gaber channel. · 2.1M views.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Metric | UK Cups | Notes / UK substitute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egyptian fava beans, tinnedفول مدمس | 2 × 400 g tins | California Gardens Egyptian Recipe is the closest in style. | |
| Garlic, crushed | 3 cloves | ||
| Lemon juice | 2 tbsp | Fresh. | |
| Ground cumin | 1 tsp | ||
| Olive oil, good quality | 3 tbsp | Extra-virgin if possible. | |
| Tahini | 2 tbsp | Optional but classic Cairo style. | |
| Fresh parsley, chopped | small handful | ||
| Tomato, finely chopped | 1 small | ||
| Salt & chilli | to taste |
Method
- Tip both tins (with their liquid) into a small pan. Add a splash of water. Heat gently 8–10 minutes.
- Mash about a third of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon — the rest stays whole. This is the texture.
- Off the heat, stir through crushed garlic, cumin, salt, half the lemon juice, and a swirl of olive oil.
- Spoon into a shallow bowl. Top with tomato, parsley, an extra drizzle of oil, the rest of the lemon, and a teaspoon of tahini if you’re going Cairo-style.
- Eat with warm baladi bread or pita. A glass of strong black tea on the side.
🛒 Shop the ingredients on Zambahola
Most of what you need is on the shelf. Items still being sourced are flagged below.
California Foul Egyptian
400g
California Foul Saudi
400g
Cumin Powder
SARA 75g
Garlic Powder
75g
Tahini
Coming soon · request
Olive Oil (UK supermarket)
Coming soon · request
Lemon (UK supermarket)
Coming soon · request
🎤 Listen instead — the Foul Medames podcast
A few minutes on the history, the ratios, and the chef’s little secret — generated with NotebookLM.
Audio coming — we will embed the NotebookLM podcast here within 24 hours.
📝 Got a better version? Share it.
Drop your family’s recipe for Foul Medames in the comments below. Tell us your name, your city, your tweak.
If your version gets the most ♥ likes, we’ll feature it on this page with your name (with your permission). Best recipes win the bowl.