Türkiye's Culture Portal records Bakla Tarator as a Denizli meze from a local-food competition recipe credited to Raziye Kurtuldu. Its method boils chopped fresh broad beans, sautés onion with tomato paste and red pepper, adds parsley and dill off the heat, then combines that mixture with garlic-seasoned strained yogurt before spooning it over the beans. The source instructs the cook to heat oil but does not give an amount, so this home version clearly supplies a practical 30 ml for sautéing while preserving the recorded proportions and sequence.
Bakla Tarator — Recipe Card
Denizli Broad Bean Meze with Garlicky Yogurt Sauce
Makes 6 servings · Makes one generous sharing plate, serving 6 as a meze.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Bakla Tarator
Prepare the broad bean pods
Wash your hands and work surface. Rinse the broad bean pods, dill and parsley thoroughly under cool running water without soap, then dry the herbs. Trim the pod ends, pull away any tough strings and cut the pods crosswise into 2–3 cm (about 1 inch) pieces.
Boil until tender
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 4 g (about 1/2 tsp) of the salt. Add the chopped pods and simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until fully tender but still holding their shape. Drain thoroughly, spread on a shallow serving plate and let cool for 15 minutes.
Cook the onion base
While the beans cook, heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden. Stir in the tomato paste and sweet red pepper powder and cook for 1 minute, until aromatic and evenly combined.
Add the herbs and cool
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the dill and parsley, then leave the mixture for 5 minutes so it is warm rather than hot. This cooling step protects the yogurt's texture.
Make the tarator sauce
In a large bowl, whisk the strained yogurt with the crushed garlic and the remaining 4 g (about 3/4 tsp) salt until smooth. Fold in the cooled onion mixture until the sauce is evenly pale rose with visible onion and herb flecks.
Assemble and chill
Spoon the yogurt sauce over the cooled broad bean pods, leaving a few green pieces visible around the edge. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes, then serve cool as a shared meze.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/denizli-broad-bean-yogurt-meze-bakla-tarator. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Fresh broad bean pods
The official method and photograph use chopped young green broad bean pods, not dried fava beans or a smooth shelled-bean puree. Choose small, tender pods; very mature fibrous pods are not suitable.
Practical oil measure
The Denizli source tells the cook to heat oil and sauté the onion but omits the quantity. The 30 ml used here is a clearly identified practical home measure—enough to soften one large onion and cook the paste without making the yogurt greasy.
Heat level
Mild when made with sweet Turkish red pepper powder or paprika. For gentle heat, replace 2 g of the sweet pepper with 2 g hot pul biber; do not change the total amount.
G6PD safety
Fava or broad beans can trigger hemolysis in people with G6PD deficiency. Anyone diagnosed with G6PD deficiency should avoid this dish and follow their clinician's guidance.
Dietary notes
This recipe is vegetarian and contains dairy. It has no deliberately added wheat, but people who must avoid gluten should verify the tomato paste and ground pepper labels and consider kitchen cross-contact rather than assuming the finished dish is gluten-free.
How to store and reheat Bakla Tarator
Refrigerate within 2 hours in a clean airtight container at 4°C/40°F or below and eat within 2 days. Stir gently before serving. Do not freeze; the yogurt can separate and the broad bean pods lose their texture.
Bakla Tarator: questions and answers
Can I use shelled fava beans instead of whole young pods?
The Denizli method uses chopped fresh pods, which give the dish its characteristic green pieces. Shelled beans have a different yield and texture, so they are not a direct substitute in this version.
Can I use Greek yogurt?
Yes. Use full-fat Greek yogurt with a thick consistency. If it is looser than strained Turkish yogurt, drain it in a cloth-lined sieve in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours before measuring.
Can I prepare Bakla Tarator ahead?
Yes. Cook and chill the broad bean pods and make the sauce up to 1 day ahead, refrigerating them separately. Assemble 20 minutes before serving so the beans remain distinct and the sauce stays thick.
