Ful Medames Dip
 
Ful Medames is a tasty Egyptian fava bean stew, a national treasure and breakfast staple, dating back to antiquity.  A simple and delicious dish, seasoned with lemon, garlic, onion, cumin, and a hit of chili. If you purée the fava beans, they become even creamier and more delectable, and can be enjoyed as a spread or a dip. Traditionally topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley.  This version isn’t weighed down with olive oil, which allows all the fabulous flavors to shine brightly through and is far kinder to our waistlines.
 
Fabulous Favas
Tuscans enjoy baccelli raw. They pair green broad beans, a larger variety of the fava family “vicia faba”, with pecorino, their sheep-milk cheese.  Throughout North Africa and the Levant, however, smaller dried favas are savored as stews. As each fava bean matures, it forms an inedible skin which must be removed. To save time, this recipe uses peeled and split dry favas. Fava beans are nutrient dense, full of protein, fiber, folate, low in fat, and a rich source of iron, magnesium, and B vitamins.
Like other legumes, fava beans fix nitrogen in the soil. They require far fewer synthetic fertilizers, harmful emitters of greenhouse gases. They enhance soil fertility for the next crop rotation.  On Egyptian farms, dry beans only generate 0.40 kg CO2e per kg (CarbonCloud.com). Fava beans face climate challenges from heat stress, drought, and extreme rain events. In recent years, their yields in Egypt have dropped dramatically, and the crop’s price has risen.  Research is ongoing to develop more climate-resilient fava varieties and to optimize farming practices to mitigate the impact of a warming world.
 
Prep time Overnight soaking of fava beans, plus15 minutes 
Cook time Steep for 20 to 30 minutes, plus 20 minutes 
Makes  2½ to 3 cups
 
24 ounce bag of dried pre-peeled fava beans (not pre-blanched)
2 bay leaves
4 large garlic cloves, 2 whole cloves for cooking the beans, 2 chopped cloves to season the cooked beans
1 medium-large yellow onion, cut in a medium dice
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted and ground
½ teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes 
Grinds of black pepper
2 lemons, one juiced, one sliced into wedges to garnish 
1 to 2 tablespoon aka (red) miso paste, or to taste
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
2 to 3 small Persian cucumbers, cut in a medium dice
Small bunch parsley leaves and stems, chopped
 
Soak the peeled fava beans in an ample amount of cool water overnight.
Drain the beans, place in a 5-quart pot, cover by several inches of water, add two cloves of garlic and the bay leaves. Simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat, cover, and steep the beans until they all sink in the pot, about minutes but possibly longer for older fava beans.
Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Test. If the beans are already tender, set them aside. If they are still crunchy, return them to the pot, cover again with water, and simmer on low until tender but before they begin falling apart. This, again, will depend on the age of the beans.  Drain and remove the bay leaves.
Move the cooked beans and garlic into a food processor, fitted with an S-blade. Run for a minute to create a creamy purée, adding only a spoonful or two of cooking water as needed to achieve this texture.
In a small cast iron skillet, heat the cumin and coriander seeds briefly, just until they become aromatic. Transfer immediately to a small bowl to cool. 
Pour the roasted seeds in small coffee or spice grinder and process into a powder.  Use a bristle pastry brush to sweep the spice powder into a small bowl.
Heat a large stainless-steel skillet on medium-low for 3 minutes.  Add the chopped onions. Cook them, stirring, for a minute or two as they release their water. If the onions have darkened the pan and begun to adhere, deglaze the pan with a tablespoon or two of water and scrape up the caramelized onion sugars with a wooden spoon.
Stir the chopped garlic and cumin-coriander powder into the pan. If it is dry, add a few spoonfuls of water.
Stir in the puréed fava beans, combining them well with the aromatics and spices.
Season with lemon juice, black pepper, Aleppo chili, and aka miso and adjust levels to suit your tastes.
Remove from the heat.
In a bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley. 
Spoon the Ful Medames dip onto a serving plate, top with the chopped vegetables, and serve with lemon wedges.