Ethiopian ful medames

Name: Ethiopian ful medames
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 400g of fava beans, tinned, or mixed beans if you can't find them; 1 onion, finely diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp berbere; 100ml of stock; 250g of unsalted butter; 1 shallot, finely diced; 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 1 knob of ginger, sliced; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 black cardamom pods, crushed; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp fenugreek seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 bay leaf; 2 tbsp of dried bird's eye chillies; 1 tsp cardamom pod; 1/2 tsp cloves; 1 tsp salt; 2 eggs, soft boiled for 6 minutes, peeled and halved; 1 plum tomato, finely diced; 1 spring onion, finely sliced; 1 handful of parsley, chopped; crusty bread rolls

by GBC Kitchen

Item 1 of 1

Breakfast
easy
2
40 minutes

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This Ethiopian ful medames recipe makes a superb, spicy breakfast, served with boiled eggs and crusty white rolls. Be sparing with the mitmita before serving, adding more later if you'd like to increase the heat – it packs a real punch thanks to the bird's eye chillies.

First published in 2018

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Ful medames, or 'stewed dried beans' are a common breakfast dish throughout Egypt and the Middle East. The Ethiopian version stews the beans in berbere and niter kibbeh, a fragrantly spiced clarified butter and is sprinkled with the fiery spice blend mitmita.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Ful medames

400g of fava beans, tinned, or mixed beans if you can't find them
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp berbere
100ml of stock

Niter kibbeh

250g of unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 knob of ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
4 black cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Mitmita

2 tbsp of dried bird's eye chillies
1 tsp cardamom pod
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt

To serve

2 eggs, soft boiled for 6 minutes, peeled and halved
1 plum tomato, finely diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 handful of parsley, chopped
crusty bread rolls

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Equipment

Muslin cloth or a coffee filter
Spice grinder

Method

Begin by making the niter kibbeh. Place all the ingredients in a pan and slowly simmer for 15–20 minutes. When the solids in the butter start to caramelise, strain the butter through a muslin cloth or coffee filter

250g of unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 knob of ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
4 black cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf

The niter kibbeh can now be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks

For the ful medames, heat 3 tbsp of niter kibbeh and gently sauté the diced onion, garlic and berbere spice until soft, about 5 minutes

1 onion
2 garlic cloves, minced

Drain the beans and add to the pan with the stock. Simmer on a low heat until the stock has nearly all evaporated and the beans can be mashed with the back of a wooden spoon

100ml of stock

As you wait for the beans to cook, prepare the mitmita spice blend. Toast the chillies, cardamom and cloves in a hot dry pan until fragrant. Transfer them to a spice grinder with the salt and blend to a powder. The mitmita can now be kept in an airtight container for 3 months, though is best used within 2 weeks for a more vibrant flavour

2 tbsp of bird's eye chillies, (dried)
1 tsp cardamom pod
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt

Spread out the roughly mashed beans onto a serving plate and drizzle with some more niter kibbeh. Top with the boiled eggs, tomato, spring onion and parsley. Serve with a sprinkling of mitmita and some crusty white bread rolls

2 eggs, soft boiled for 6 minutes, peeled and halved
1 plum tomato, finely diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 handful of parsley, chopped
crusty bread rolls

First published in 2018

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GBC Kitchen

GBC Kitchen is where you'll find accessible, inspiring recipes with a twist, from our in-house team of recipe developers. Perfect for mid-week meals or special occasions alike, GBC Kitchen recipes will help you become a more confident cook, and impress those around you in the meantime! Don't forget to check out our brand new How to Cook guide every month, which focuses on a specific ingredient and ways to use it, alongside four brand new recipes.

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