A fool for foul (medames)

The Husband and I have been smitten by Foul, homey Egyptian dish made with slow cooked foul medames or fava beans, usually anointed with some olive oil, a splash of lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley and served with warm Arabic flat bread. Maybe because foul somehow evokes some familiar flavors that’s why we are quite in love with it. Honestly, it reminds me of a Filipino comfort food favorite, monggo (mung bean soup), and a family favorite of mine, the chili con carne, which is actually on our menu list this week.

So, as I saw some foul medames on sale at the grocery (Yes, The Husband is a sucker for items on sale – aside from having a soft spot for foul. Hence, making it much easier for me to convince him to buy the lot.), I decided to be brave and try to just give our favorite bean stew, chili con carne a twist.You could say it was an Egyptian inspired chili con carne dish

How did my little experiment turn out?

Ohhh, so wonderful! I simply followed my old chili con carne recipe then used the foul instead of red kidney beans. I just love how the foul medames manages to retain its shape and firm, yet fluffy inside, even after cooking in low heat for almost two hours. This is what I love about this particular kind of beans: they actually feel like bubbles bursting inside my mouth Foul medames have a smooth, slick yet firm skin, which pops in your mouth when you bite into it and explodes with amazingly fluffy insides. Fluffy like a good batch of buttery mashed potatoes. Yum.