Egyptian stewed fava beans (Ful medames)

1. Soak the dried fava beans overnight in plenty of cold water; the next day drain and rinse.

2. Cover with the water in a pot, bring to the boil, then simmer covered over very low heat for 1.5-2 hours until very soft; top up with water if needed.

3. Pound the garlic to a paste with the salt in a mortar and mix with the lemon juice and cumin.

4. Mash part of the beans with a fork to make them creamy, leave the rest whole, then stir in the garlic and lemon mixture.

5. Cut the tomato into small dice and finely chop the parsley.

6. Spoon the beans into deep plates, drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle with the tomato, parsley and pepper and serve with pitta.

Tip: Ful medames is Egypt's national breakfast; street vendors cook it all night in huge copper pots. With canned fava beans it's ready in 15 minutes: warm them in their liquid and carry on from the mashing step. It's even more filling with a boiled egg and pickles.