Egypt | Breakfast

Ta'ameya

Name: Ta'ameya
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6 fritters
Cuisine: Egypt, North Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups dried split fava beans, soaked overnight and drained; 1 cup parsley, packed; 1 cup cilantro, packed; ½ cup dill, packed; 4 whole scallions, chopped; 5 cloves garlic; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp baking powder; ¼ cup sesame seeds; 3 cups neutral oil, for deep frying; salt and black pepper, to taste

Egyptian fava bean falafel made with soaked split fava beans, fresh herbs, garlic, spices, and a sesame crust before frying.

Country

Egypt

Region

North Africa

Time

55 min

Serves

Level

medium

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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Ta'ameya is Egypt's green, herb-heavy answer to falafel, commonly made from dried split fava beans rather than chickpeas. The best patties are crisp outside, fluffy inside, and bright with parsley, cilantro, dill, garlic, cumin, and coriander.

What the dish tastes like

Egyptian fava bean falafel made with soaked split fava beans, fresh herbs, garlic, spices, and a sesame crust before frying.

When to cook it

Best for Best for breakfast, mezze, street-food-style snacks, or a vegetarian sandwich spread., with a medium cooking level and about 55 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Baladi bread, tahini sauce, pickles, chopped salad, and ful medames.

Regional lane

Egypt national table. A verified Egypt dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Chef board

Build the table around Ta'ameya

Baladi bread, tahini sauce, pickles, chopped salad, and ful medames.

Best route from here

Egypt national table

Collections to keep cooking

Vegetarian African Classics Breakfast and Tea Table

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Ingredients

For 6 fritters

Breakfast

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Egypt

4 steps 55 min total medium

Soak the beans

Soak split fava beans overnight in plenty of water, then drain very well before grinding.

Dry beans are essential for texture. Canned beans will make the batter collapse.

overnight soak 480:00

Grind the batter

Pulse fava beans, herbs, scallions, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper until finely ground but not wet or pureed.

grind 05:00

Season and shape

Mix in baking powder. Shape small patties and press sesame seeds onto one side.

shape 15:00

Fry until crisp

Fry in hot oil until deep golden and crisp, turning once. Drain and serve hot.

Fry a test patty first and adjust salt before shaping the rest.

fry batch 04:00

Some cooks add leek or scallion, some coat heavily with sesame, and Alexandria-style versions may hide a spicy chile filling.

Ta'ameya

What to know before you cook

Build the table around Ta'ameya

Step-by-step method

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