Kuru Fasulye with Buttery Şehriyeli Pilav

⏱ 100 min · Serves 4

Turkey's beloved white bean stew, slow-simmered with sweet peppers, tomato and a whisper of pul biber until the beans turn silky. Served with vermicelli-studded butter rice, it's the ultimate humble comfort plate — cheap, filling and better the next day.

Per serving: 665 kcal · 22.0g protein · 98.0g carbs · 19.0g fat

Ingredients

• 300g dried white haricote/cannellini beans, soaked overnight (or 2 x 400g tins, drained)
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 green Turkish pepper (or 1/2 green bell pepper), diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (salça)
• 1 tsp red pepper paste (biber salçası), optional
• 2 tomatoes, grated, or 200g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 1.5 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 700ml hot water
• For the pilav:
• 250g baldo or long-grain rice, rinsed until water runs clear
• 40g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 50g vermicelli (şehriye) or broken angel hair pasta
• 400ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp salt
• To serve: pickled chillies, red onion salad, crusty bread

Method

1. Drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water and boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer 30–40 minutes until almost tender. Drain, keeping a mugful of the cooking water. (Skip if using tins.)
2. Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy pot. Cook the onion and green pepper over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and sweet, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and pepper paste and fry for 2 minutes until it darkens and smells sweet.
4. Add the grated tomatoes, pul biber and dried mint. Cook 3 minutes, then add the beans, salt and 700ml hot water.
5. Simmer uncovered, lid ajar, for 35–45 minutes (20 minutes for tinned), topping up with the reserved bean water if needed, until the beans are creamy and the sauce glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Taste for salt.
6. Meanwhile, make the pilav: melt the butter with the olive oil in a saucepan, add the vermicelli and stir for 2–3 minutes until golden brown.
7. Add the rinsed, drained rice and stir 1 minute to coat. Pour in the hot stock and salt, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat, lay a clean tea towel under the lid and rest 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
9. Spoon the beans alongside a mound of pilav, and serve with pickled chillies, sliced red onion and bread.
10. Leftovers keep 3 days chilled and taste even deeper reheated.