Turkish White Bean Stew — Kuru Fasulye

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

• 2 cups (340 g) dried cannellini or other small white beans, sorted and rinsed
• 6.25 cups (1500 ml) cold water, for soaking
• 6.25 cups (1500 ml) fresh water, for pre-boiling
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large (180 g) large yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 medium (80 g) mild green pepper, such as Anaheim, seeded and finely diced
• 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
• 1 tbsp (15 g) mild Turkish red pepper paste (tatlı biber salçası)
• 3.75 cups (900 ml) hot water, plus more as needed
• 1.5 tsp (9 g) fine salt
• 0.5 tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper

How to make Kuru Fasulye

1. Soak the beans

   Put the sorted beans in a large bowl, cover with the cold soaking water and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. Drain, rinse under cold running water and discard the soaking liquid.

2. Pre-boil safely

   Transfer the beans to a large saucepan and add the fresh water. Bring to a vigorous boil uncovered and keep it boiling for 10 minutes. Reduce only enough to prevent boil-over and continue cooking for 20 minutes, so the beans have boiled for 30 minutes in total. Drain; they should still be firm in the center.

3. Build the aromatic base

   Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and mild green pepper and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and translucent without deep browning.

4. Cook the pastes

   Stir in the tomato paste and mild pepper paste. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the pastes darken slightly and coat the vegetables.

5. Simmer the stew

   Add the pre-boiled beans and hot water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer partially covered for 45–60 minutes. Stir gently every 10–15 minutes and add a little more hot water if the beans rise above the liquid. Stop when the beans are fully tender and creamy inside but mostly hold their shape, and the sauce lightly coats a spoon.

6. Season and rest

   Stir in the salt and black pepper during the final 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, covered, for 10 minutes so the sauce settles. Taste for salt and serve hot, ideally with rice pilaf and pickles or a chopped salad.

Recipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-white-bean-stew-kuru-fasulye. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.