Hummus Foul

Foul medames, or simply foul, is a dried fava bean stew that is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, especially in Egypt. Interestingly, the dish is thought to have Jewish roots. Foul means fava beans and medames means buried, referring to the practice of burying pots of fava beans in the embers of the fires, a common practice when cooking for the Jewish Sabbath: The dish could be left to gently cook overnight and be ready for lunch on Saturday without further tending—the ancient equivalent of the modern-day slow cooker.

Foul is a common breakfast dish, often as a topping for hummus with hard-boiled eggs. I like to use haminados (see recipe); hard-boiled eggs slow-cooked in a stew, or hamin, which gives them a beautiful caramel color, a creamy texture, and a deep flavor. (We get a similar effect by long-simmering the eggs in a coffee-based brine.) I love the contrast of the long-cooked, deep-flavored fava beans against the fresher, brighter hummus.

● Soak 1 cup dried fava beans overnight, then drain and rinse. Quickly boil the fava beans to soften them, then drain and peel away the outer skin. Cook the peeled fava beans in boiling salted water with a few garlic cloves and a pinch each of ground cumin, coriander, and cardamom until tender, about 1 hour. Let the beans cool in their cooking liquid. Drain, reserving a little cooking liquid, then toss the beans with the cooking liquid.

● Top 1 recipe Hummus Tehina with the warm fava beans. Season with lemon juice, salt, and additional cumin, coriander, and cardamom. Top with chopped fresh parsley, olive oil, and ground Urfa pepper (see sidebar). Serve with slow-cooked eggs (haminados) on the side.