Cardamom and Tea

Ful Medames

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At the end of the day, it’s just stewed dried fava beans. It’s a pretty humble dish. But ful medames comes together into a total showstopper when you spoon some mashed fava beans a bowl and add some lemon juice, olive oil, chopped herbs, chili, eggs, or whatever else you love. After all, ful is all about the toppings.

I started making ful medames for weekend brunches as a way to feed a crowd without overcommitting myself to the kitchen. And it worked great, because as it turns out, everyone loves a meal they can customize. And I get to hang out instead of frying eggs to order.

Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on for a list of some tips for success and a note on fava allergy.

Tips for ful medames success

1. Use baking soda for quick-cooking, fluffy beans.

Soaking dried fava beans with baking soda not only helps them cook faster, but also helps them cook up fluffier and softer. Just make sure to rinse them well after soaking so they don’t taste weirdly soapy.

2. Watch the pot carefully.

When you use this baking soda trick, fava beans can go from tender to mushy very quickly. Don’t overcook them or they will get a bit soggy instead of fluffy. But with ful medames, soggy actually isn’t the end of the world, so don’t stress if you take them a little too far. Overdone is better than unpleasantly mealy.

3. Don’t skip the garlic, oil, and herbs.

These are the only toppings that are pretty much mandatory (well, that and pita bread, if that counts as a topping). Garlic and parsley or cilantro brings freshness and oil brings richness, two qualities that cooked fava beans are lacking.

4. Have fun with the toppings!

You can use whatever you’d like for your ful medames. The list in the following recipe is not mandatory—pick a few things that sound good to you. It’s generally nice to pick one or two fresh-tasting things (e.g., tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, lemons), one or two creamy things (e.g. feta, eggs), and one or two bold things (e.g. spices, garlic, etc.). And don’t just stick to this list—feel free to get creative and use what you have.

allergy warning

Fava beans are a beloved ingredient in many parts of the world, but they’re not safe for everyone. There’s a genetic condition called G6PD deficiency (also sometimes referred to as favism) that can make it unsafe to eat certain foods, including fava beans. I’m not a medical professional, so if you’re unsure whether they’re safe for you or your guests, it’s worth doing a bit of research or checking with a healthcare provider.

And if you’d rather play it safe, you can absolutely make ful medames with something like black beans or chickpeas instead. It won’t be traditional, but it’ll still be hearty, comforting, and very good.

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Ful Medames (with topping ideas)

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  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the beans:

  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 1/2 cup dried fava beans
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed through a press or finely minced
  • 3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Optional toppings (choose 2 to 3… or all 12!)

  • Serve with pita Bread, warmed in the oven for a couple minutes (semi-mandatory, unless you hate bread)
  • More garlic, crushed through a press or finely minced
  • 1/2 of 1 red onion, thinly sliced or minced
  • 2 lemons, sliced into wedges
  • 3 soft or hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges or halves
  • 3 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 of 1 English cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers, diced
  • 8 to 10 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lightly toasted cumin
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
  • 8 ounces feta (can also use 1 cup labneh or yogurt)
  • More parsley or cilantro

Instructions

  1. Pour the water and baking soda over the dried fava beans and stir until the baking soda dissolves. Let them soak overnight.*
  2. The next morning, drain away the soaking water and cover the fava beans by a few inches of water in a medium stock pot or skillet. Bring the water to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer the fava beans for about 35 minutes, until they’re very soft (keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t disintegrate completely). If you don’t use baking soda or if your beans are old, they’ll take longer to cook.
  3. While the beans are cooking, prep the toppings.
  4. Once the beans are very soft, strain them in a colander.
  5. Place the now empty pot back over medium heat and let it heat for a couple minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and add the garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat for 30 seconds, and then return the beans to the pot with the garlic and mash them up with the salt. Add one or two tablespoons of water if the beans are too thick (they will thicken a little more as they cool).
  6. Drizzle the beans with more extra virgin olive oil, and top with parsley or cilantro.
  7. Have guests build their own bowls, starting with the beans, then piling on their favorite toppings.

Notes

* If you don’t have time to let them soak overnight, you can cook them right from dry. It will just take a lot longer on the stove.

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2025 update: This recipe was originally published on 10 January 2018, but I recently made a few changes and updated it. The recipe is now much more streamlined and easier to follow (this was my 100th recipe at the time 🥳 but I still had a lot to learn!). The actual recipe itself is still pretty much the same, so if you’ve been making it for years, don’t worry. It’s just a lot easier to follow now.

How to Roast a Chicken

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So you want to know how to roast a chicken, but the idea feels a bit nerve-wracking. You’re definitely not alone. A while back, “chicken anxiety” became a trending topic on Tiktok. One commenter summed it up the best: “I swear my chicken anxiety eventually led to me veganism.”

And that tracks! Only 27% of Americans use a thermometer when cooking meat, so it’s no wonder people are anxious about it. How are you supposed to find the sweet spot between overcooked and health hazard when you’re just going based on vibes?

Well, fortunately I’m not here to tell you you absolutely have to buy a thermometer. Instead, I want to tell you about a simple solution you already have in your kitchen: dry brining. Dry brining sounds fancy, but it actually just means “salting your chicken a bit ahead of time.”

Why does dry brining work? Because it basically allows you to overcook your chicken without drying it out. It makes the sweet spot a way bigger target, which means it will be easier for you to hit blindfolded.

Jump to the recipe if you want to hit the ground running, or read on for my tips to learn how to roast a chicken, no muss no fuss (and no thermometer).

roast chicken with citrus and potatoes
roast chicken

Why dry-brine chicken?

Dry brining is much better than not brining at all. And it’s even better than wet brining. Here’s why this is my number 1 tip for success:

A. Brining keeps it juicy even if you overcook it.

Salting the chicken in advance and letting it rest in the fridge helps the chicken stay juicy even if you overcook it a bit. And if you don’t have access to a thermometer, erring on the side of overcooked is the safest way to cook chicken. Even if you don’t have time for a full overnight dry-brine, even 30 minutes will make a difference (and an hour will make a big difference). You can accomplish this with a wet or dry brine, but here’s why dry is better:

B. Dry brining is less messy than wet brining.

There’s no slippery bowl of chickeney salt water to contend with, as with a wet brine. You can even dry brine right on the pan you intend to roast in. And if you want to add more flavors (as you might in a wet brine), you can sprinkle on spices, citrus zest, and other flavorful ingredients.

C. Dry brining doesn’t require a recipe or precise measurements

You just add the amount of salt that would taste good to you. With wet brining, there’s always a danger of over-salting the chicken. If you add too much salt to the solution or leave it in the solution for too long, you’re in big trouble. But as long as you know how to eyeball seasoning, a dry brine lets you just sprinkle on however much salt would taste good to you.

For anyone who needs a bit more guidance figuring out how much salt a chicken needs, there is an easy way to figure that out, whether you’re using the metric system or the US system:

U.S. system: Use a little more than 1/2 tsp of table salt per 1 pound of bone-in meat. In other words, divide the number of whole chicken pounds by 2, add a bit extra, and use that many teaspoons of table salt. For example, you’d use a bit more than 2 1/2 tsp of salt for a 5 lb chicken. I’d round it up to almost 3 tsp (1 Tbsp)

Metric system: Use 1 gram of salt per 130g of meat. In other words, divide the number of grams of chicken by 130, and use that many grams of salt. Or divide the chicken’s weight in kilograms by 0.13. For example, a 2.2kg chicken needs 17g salt.

If you tend to think most things are over-salted, or if you need to cut down on salt for whatever reason, you don’t need to use quite this much. But using the full amount will help your chicken stay juicy. And this is how much salt I personally use when I prepare chicken.

roast chicken with stuffing
roast chicken with parsley and lemons

Tips for roasting a chicken

  1. Dry brine your chicken (have I convinced you yet?).
  2. Keep different cook times in mind when combining chicken and produce. If you want to roast your chicken with some veggies, stuffing, or potatoes on the side, just make sure you time it all out together. Add everything together if it’ll take about the same time. If your veggies are quicker-cooking than a whole chicken, you could butterfly the chicken to make it take less time and finish at the same time as your veggies. Or you could add your veggies to the same pan at a later point in the roasting.
  3. Roast at 425°F [220°C]. This high heat helps the skin crisp and the meet cook quickly and evenly. No need for changing the temperature to sear it. It will sear and roast all at the same time.
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How to Roast a Chicken (without a thermometer)

roast chicken
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Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (any size)
  • Table salt
  • Any flavorings you’d like (citrus zest, spices, herbs, etc.)

Instructions

  1. Dry brine your chicken as far ahead as you can.* To dry brine, place your chicken on the pan you intend to roast it on. Salt your chicken evenly all over using as much salt as would taste good to you.** Add any flavorings you’d like to add, being careful not to wipe away the salt in the process. Place it breast-side-up, cover, and leave in the refrigerator as it brines.
  2. When your chicken is almost done dry-brining, preheat the oven to 425°F [220°C].
  3. Uncover the brined chicken and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, it registers 165°F [74°C] internally, and the leg feels loose when you wiggle it. If you don’t have a thermometer, simply err on the side of more done, since dry-brining helps to preserve juiciness (and since serving undercooked chicken is not safe). Here’s a guide to estimate roasting times at this temperature:
  • 3 lb (1.4 kg) takes about 50 min
  • 4 lb (1.8 kg) takes about 60 min
  • 5 lb (2.3 kg) takes about 75 min
  • 6 lb (2.7 kg) takes about 90 min
  • 7 lb (3.2 kg) takes about 105 min

Notes

* Dry brine up to 3 days before roasting. Even 30 minutes makes a small difference, and 60 minutes makes a big difference.

**Use this formula if you’re not sure how to salt a whole chicken to taste. Use whichever system applies to you:

U.S. system: Use a little more than 1/2 tsp of table salt per 1 pound of bone-in meat. In other words, divide the number of whole chicken pounds by 2, add a bit extra, and use that many teaspoons of table salt.

Metric system: Use 1 gram of salt per 130g of meat. In other words, divide the number of grams of chicken by 130, and use that many grams of salt. Or divide the chicken’s weight in kilograms by 0.13 and use that many grams of salt.

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Psst… by the way, I wrote a whole cookbook of adaptable recipes like this one. It’s called A Dish for All Seasons!

Check it out for adaptable base recipes + ideas for seasonal (and evergreen!) variations. I also include recipes for my favorite ways to use a whole chicken: bbq chicken, sheet pan chicken with stuffing, chicken roast with potatoes and citrus, and chicken piccata.