White Beans with Meat (Etli Kuru Fasulye)

White Beans with Meat (Etli Kuru Fasulye)

White Beans with Meat is a very traditional and common dish in Turkey, especially when it is served with pilaf and pickles. Turkish people just love this dish.

2 cups white/butter beans
½ lb beef/lamb meat, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp tomato paste1 dried red pepper/green pepper, chopped
½ tsp baking soda (optional)
¼ tsp chili red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tbsp salt to taste
1 cup hot water

Wash white beans, place them in a pot and cover with water (approximately 1 inch above the beans). Leave them in water overnight or for at least 12 hours. The next day, cook them with the same water till beans get soft over low heat. You could add baking soda to have softer beans quicker. When they are soft, add ½ tbsp of salt.
In another pot, sauté chopped meat with oil till they are brown. Then add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Stir in peppers and tomato paste. Add one cup of hot water and the remaining salt, and then simmer till the meat is soft. Transfer the cooked white beans into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
Serve White Beans with Meat, with pilaf /or over pilaf. Also cacik andpickled vegetables are good to go with this recipe.
ENJOY
P.S: You can also use 2 cans of white beans and skip the instructions given in the first paragraph, but it may not be as delicious as the one with dried beans.