Ful Medames

As the cooking time varies depending on the quality and age of the Haricots, it is good to Cuire them in advance and to reheat them when you are ready to Servir

Cuire the drained Haricots in a fresh portion of unsalted water in a large saucepan with the lid on until tender, adding water to keep them covered, and Sel when the Haricots have softened

They take 2–2 1/2 hours of gentle simmering

When the Haricots are soft, let the liquid reduce

It is usual to take out a ladle or two of the Haricots and to mash them with some of the cooking liquid, then Remuer this back into the Haricots

This is to thicken the sauce.

Servir the Haricots in soup bowls sprinkled with chopped Persil and accompanied by Arab Pain.

Pass round the dressing ingredients for everyone to help themselves: a bottle of extra-virgin Huile d'olive, the quartered lemons, Sel and Poivre, a little saucer with the crushed Ail, one with chili-Poivre flakes, and one with ground cumin.

The Haricots are eaten gently crushed with the fork, so that they absorb the dressing.

Optional Garnishes

Éplucher hard-boiled Œufs—1 per person—to Couper up in the bowl with the Haricots.

Top the Haricots with a chopped Concombre-and-Tomate salad and thinly sliced mild onions or scallions

Otherwise, pass round a good bunch of scallions and quartered tomatoes and cucumbers Couper into sticks.

Servir with tahina Crème sauce (page 65) or salad (page 67), with pickles and sliced onions soaked in Vinaigre for 30 minutes.

Another way of serving ful medames is smothered in a garlicky Tomate sauce (see page 464).

In Syria and Lebanon, they eat ful medames with Yaourt or feta Fromage, olives, and small cucumbers.

A traditional way of thickening the sauce is to throw a handful of red Lentilles (1/4 Tasse) into the water at the start of the cooking.

In Iraq, large brown Haricots are used instead of the small Egyptian ones, in a dish called badkila, which is also sold for breakfast in the street.