Kuru fasulye yahni (white bean stew)

Kuru fasulye yahni is a popular and comforting Cypriot white bean stew, with variations of the dish found in Greece and Turkey. Tender white beans are simmered gently in a rich tomato sauce with onions, celery, parsley and a generous amount of ground black pepper for a satisfying warmth. The dish is served simply with quartered onions or spring onions, olives, bread or rice on the side.

You can use any variety of white bean you prefer, with most Turkish food stores stocking a standard 'kuru fasulye' variety. Our preference, and the bean used in our recipe, is dermason fasulye, which are smaller and have a mild, creamy and slightly nutty-sweet flavour. Their skins are also thinner than standard kuru fasulye, making them softer and smoother to eat, as well as slightly quicker to cook. Italian cannellini beans are another substitute but like standard kuru fasulye, are larger. You may need to adjust the cooking time if you use a variety that is not dermason, with larger beans taking a little longer to cook.

The white beans need to be soaked overnight for at least 12 hours to soften them before cooking. We also briefly boil them on a high heat at the start before draining the water. This works to remove impurities and improve digestibility, reducing the risk of bloating. Discarding this water also helps enhance the other flavours in the stew, preventing the beans from dominating and allowing the tomato, onion and celery to come through with a better balance.

You can add red pepper paste and/or pul biber for extra warmth and a richer flavour - our recipe is the standard base for Cypriot kuru fasulye yahni, so you can adapt and add flavours that you like. The stew can also be prepared in a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time. You would still need to briefly boil the beans first and discard the water before adding the remaining ingredients and cooking again. Both steps can be done in the pressure cooker, but you will need to refer to the guide for your specific pressure cooker for the recommended cooking times.

Finally, you can make kuru fasulye yahni with lamb. As a general guide for what works with the ingredients in our recipe, add 300g of lamb shoulder or neck, cut into 4 to 5cm pieces. Alternatively, bone-in lamb pieces can be used for a richer flavour. To make it, fry the lamb in a little oil for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides, before removing from the pan (it won't be fully cooked through at this stage). Add the lamb back to the saucepan at the stage when you add the beans and simmer the stew as normal. When cooking with lamb, you won't need to add a stock cube. Instead, season with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, or to taste.

Serves 4 to 6 | Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 1 hour and 45 minutes | Additional time: To soak the dried white beans overnight (at least 12 hours)

Ingredients

500g dried white beans	250g celery
2 onions, chopped	400g tinned chopped tomatoes
30g parsley, chopped	1 tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ tsp ground black pepper	1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
½ tsp salt, or as desired	1.25L hot water
8 tsp sunflower oil, for frying

Hob heat settings

Method

Bean preparation

1. Pick through the beans and discard any that are broken or discoloured. 

   
   

2. Place the beans in a large bowl with enough fresh water to cover by 10cm. Leave overnight (minimum 12 hours).

   
   

Stew preparation:

1. Cut the celery stalks into 1 cm slices.

   
   

2. Drain and wash the beans thoroughly. Place the beans in a large saucepan and add enough hot water to cover by 5cm. Boil on a high heat for 15-20 minutes while loosely covered, or until slightly softened - keep removing the white froth that forms while boiling. Drain the beans, rinse with cold water and leave in a colander to drain. 

   
   

3. Add the sunflower oil to a large saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, fry the onions for about 5-10 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the tinned chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and ground black pepper, and cook for 5 minutes more. Break the tomato pieces up with the back of a spoon when stirring.

   
   

4. Mix the stock cube with the hot water until fully dissolved. 

   
   

5. Add the beans, celery and parsley to the saucepan, before pouring over the hot stock and gently stirring together. Simmer on a medium-high heat while loosely covered for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened. Stir gently from time to time while cooking, being careful not to break the beans. The best way is to use a large spoon to gently lift the beans from the bottom and turn them over. You can top up with hot water if it runs low, but you want the sauce to thicken.