Ful, a stew of fava beans, is the national dish of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia has taken to it so completely that it is now the most common breakfast dish in the kingdom. In the Hijaz, the western region around Jeddah, Mecca and Medina, it is also the anchor of the Ramadan iftar table, and Hijazi cooks have firm views on how it should be made: mashed almost completely smooth, with only a few whole beans left, unlike the chunkier Egyptian style, and seasoned with garlic, cumin and a generous pool of olive oil or ghee.

In Jeddah, breakfast shops serve it bubbling hot with tamees, a large, crisp edged flatbread of Afghan origin, and the toppings are where each eater takes charge: chopped tomato, onion, parsley, pickles, green chili, tahini or a sharp tomato and chili sauce called duggus. It costs very little, takes fifteen minutes and is the best possible start to a day that ends with a night race on the Corniche.

The ful

Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 oz / 425 g each) fava beans (ful medames)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Tip the beans and their liquid into the saucepan and add 1/4 cup (60 ml) water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then so they do not catch on the bottom.
2. Turn the heat to low. Add the garlic, cumin and salt and mash firmly with the masher or pestle for 2 to 3 minutes, working all around the pan. Hijazi style is almost smooth with only a few whole beans; stop sooner if you like it chunkier.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and half the olive oil. Taste and add more salt, lemon or cumin as you like.
4. Spread the ful in the shallow serving bowl, swirling the back of a spoon through the middle to make a well. Pour the rest of the olive oil into the well, or melt the ghee and pour it in, and dust with a pinch of cumin.

Duggus and toppings

Ingredients

• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 green chili
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice or white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 small white or red onion
• a small handful flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• a few pickled cucumbers or turnips

Method

1. Put the coarsely chopped tomato, half the green chili, the small garlic clove, lemon juice or vinegar and salt in the mortar and pound to a rough sauce, or chop everything together very finely on the board and stir in a bowl.
2. Scatter the finely chopped tomato, onion, parsley and the rest of the chili over the ful. Drizzle with tahini if you like, and set the duggus, pickles and lemon wedges on the side.

The bread

Ingredients

• 2 large or 4 small tamees, naan or thick flatbreads

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Sprinkle the breads with a few drops of water and lay them directly on the oven rack for 4 to 6 minutes. Tear them into pieces at the table.

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