A hearty Turkish white bean stew simmered in a smoky tomato and pepper paste base, traditionally served over rice pilaf.
Kuru fasulye is arguably Turkey's most beloved everyday stew, so central to the national diet that it's often called the country's unofficial dish, sold in dedicated kuru fasulyeci restaurants that serve little else. Dried white beans are slow-simmered with onion, tomato paste, and red pepper paste until they turn creamy and the broth thickens into a light, savory sauce, sometimes enriched with a piece of pastirma (cured beef) or beef cubes for depth. It's almost never served alone — the traditional pairing is a scoop of buttery rice pilaf on the side, along with pickles and a few slices of raw onion, the acidity cutting through the richness of the beans.
Serves 6
Soak dried beans in plenty of water overnight, then drain and rinse.
Heat olive oil in a large pot and cook onion until soft, about 6 minutes, then add garlic for 1 minute.
If using beef or pastirma, brown it in the pot at this stage before continuing.
Stir in tomato paste, red pepper paste, paprika and chile flakes, cooking 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the soaked beans and water or stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partially covered, for 75-90 minutes until the beans are fully tender and the broth has thickened.
Season with salt in the last 20 minutes of cooking (salting dried beans too early can toughen them) and adjust to taste.
Add salt late — beans cooked in salted liquid from the start take much longer to soften.
Serve hot over rice pilaf with pickles and raw onion on the side.
Soak the beans overnight without fail — unsoaked dried beans take much longer to cook and can turn out unevenly tender.
Add salt only in the final stage of cooking; salting early slows down the softening of dried beans considerably.
A small piece of pastirma (Turkish cured beef) added early in cooking gives the broth deep, smoky flavor even in small amounts.
A vegetarian version omits the meat entirely and relies on the tomato and pepper paste base for depth.
Some cooks add a whole dried red chile pepper to the pot for extra smokiness, removing it before serving.
In a pressure cooker, the beans cook in about 35-40 minutes after soaking, speeding up the process considerably.
Refrigerate up to 4 days in a sealed container; the stew also freezes well for up to 3 months and often tastes even better the next day as the flavors continue to meld.
Kuru fasulye has been a staple of Turkish cuisine for centuries, with beans arriving in Anatolia after the Columbian Exchange, and it became so ingrained in daily life that dedicated bean-and-rice restaurants remain common across Turkish cities today.
Yes, use about 4 cups of drained canned beans and reduce the simmering time to 20-25 minutes, just enough to absorb the sauce flavors.
Substitute extra tomato paste with a pinch of smoked paprika or a small spoon of harissa for a similar depth.
They were likely salted too early or not soaked long enough — always soak overnight and hold off on salt until the beans have mostly softened.
Per serving (350g / 12.3 oz) · 6 servings total
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