A hearty white bean stew simmered in a tomato and pepper-paste broth, often with cubes of lamb or beef. Frequently called Turkey's national dish, it is the everyday lokanta staple eaten over rice.
A staple traceable to Ottoman-era bean cookery and widely described as Turkey's national dish, served in lokantas across the country.
Spoon-soft beans give way to a thick, brick-red broth that tastes of sweet pepper paste and slow-cooked tomato. With rice it is pure comfort; the raw onion and pickle on the side cut through the richness with a sharp snap.
Overnight soaking and gentle simmering hydrate the starch granules so the beans cook evenly without bursting, while a portion dissolves to thicken the broth. The pepper and tomato pastes add concentrated umami and the deep colour through Maillard-browned sugars.
Variations
Vegan etsiz version without meat; with sucuk slices; pastırma version; finished with butter or tail fat for richness.
On the Palate
Where Kuru Fasulye sits in the Turkish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 110 min
Soak dried white beans overnight, then drain and rinse.
- 212 min
Brown cubed beef or lamb in olive oil with chopped onion until coloured.
Watch outBrown the meat in batches so it's deep and dry, not grey and steamy — that colour is where the flavour starts.
- 34 min
Stir in tomato paste and red pepper paste and cook until fragrant.
Watch outFry the pastes until they darken and smell sweet-toasty and the oil turns red — raw paste tastes flat and tinny.
- 45 min
Add the beans, diced tomato and enough hot water to cover.
- 575 min
Season with salt and dried chili and simmer gently until the beans are creamy-soft.
Watch outSimmer low until a bean squashes creamy between your fingers — rushed on high heat they split and stay chalky.
- 65 min
Adjust the broth so it is thick but still spoonable.
- 710 min
Rest off the heat for ten minutes to let flavours settle.
- 84 min
Serve hot over buttery rice with pickles and raw onion.
