My maternal grandfather was a great man—a dedicated husband, father, and physician—who held fast to his Egyptian roots, starting with breakfast. Every morning of his adult life started with ful mudammas. These cooked fava beans are standard fuel for many Egyptians, often paired simply with bread. When I thought about tweaking this recipe to use a different bean and asked my mom for her opinion, her response was clear and emphatic. “Nooo!” she bellowed. “You can never change the fava bean in this recipe. The Egyptian people will never forgive you!” When your mother suggests that 100 million people will hate you, you shut up and do as you’re told.
- Step 1: To make the beans, in a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt, cooking to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cumin and the beans, along with the rest of the olive oil. Cook, breaking up the beans with a wooden spoon, for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 2: Transfer to a bowl, then mix in the tahini, lemon juice, and ½ cup water. Season with the remaining teaspoon of salt.
- Step 3: To make the flatbreads, preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush each flatbread with some olive oil, then spread some of the ful mixture on each piece. Place directly on a baking sheet and bake for 7 to 9 minutes until the bread browns nicely.
- Step 4: Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the butter over medium-low heat and crack in the eggs. Fry until the whites set and the yolks are still runny. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Step 5: Remove the flatbreads from the oven and top with the sliced red onion. Place the eggs on top, then finish with a pinch of chili flakes and the parsley and cilantro.
Note: You can readily find canned ful mudammas (cooked fava beans) in grocery stores these days, but if you find dried fava beans, just soak them overnight, then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender before using them in this recipe.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: serves 6
Beans
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp + pinch salt, divided
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 18 fl oz can fava beans, rinsed
- ½ cup tahini
- ½ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Flatbreads
- 6 slices flatbread
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 6 eggs
- Pinch salt
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- ½ bunch parsley, chopped
- ¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
Shahir Massoud's culinary journey began in 2009 when he enrolled in New York City's esteemed French Culinary Institute.
With classic French training, Massoud combined academia with real world experience in some of New York's most dynamic kitchens. Shahir had the privilege of working at Lupa, Del Posto, Pulino's, and was part of the opening team at The Mark by Jean Georges. Upon returning home, he continued his journey by working in top Toronto restaurants before starting his own growing chain of Italian inspired fast-casual eateries. Then, in the spring of 2016 his career took an unexpected twist! A producer from the CBC spotted him performing a cooking segment and decided to cast him as the chef-host of the daily show "The Goods".
Shahir went on to host 260 episodes of national television, and even had the chance to cook with culinary heroes such as Anthony Bourdain, Lidia Bastianich, Curtis Stone, and Massimo Bottura. Next, he hosted "Around the World in 8 Meals", “Spice Secrets", and "Recipe for Disaster" on the CW Network. He also is the new Chef Spokesperson for HSN's in-house brand KitchenHQ and Butterball Canada. Shahir has embraced his new career in the food media world and still regularly performs for Buzzfeed, Munchies, and now The Good Stuff with Mary Berg! He also is a published cookbook author, as his book "Eat, Habibi, Eat! Fresh Recipes for Modern Egyptian Cooking" was released by Penguin Random House in the spring of 2021. The book puts modern spins on the classic Egyptian dishes that he grew up with, and was nominated for the prestigious IACP Julia Child First Book Award and won a 2022 Taste Canada Gold Award in the Regional and Cultural cookbook category. Shahir currently lives with his wife Mila and two young children Kairo (aged 7) and Katherine (aged 3) in Toronto.
These featured authors and recipes are presented as part of a collaboration between the Museum and Taste Canada. A project meant to celebrate the vibrant culinary scene in Canada and introduce our upcoming exhibition eat make share: a taste of immigration. This national traveling exhibition will invite you to take a deeper dive into food and immigration. Opening in Halifax, Nova Scotia May 2025.
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