Vegan Kuru Fasulye

This delicious combination of rice and beans comes from Turkish cuisine.

I first heard of Kuru Fasulye from a Turkish acquaintance, who assured me it is a delicious way to beat the cold of a Nordic winter. I didn’t try it out since Kuru Fasulye has a lot of meat in it – or so I thought since that was the only kind I found at my local restaurant. But I later realised that at the base of it, Kuru Fasulye is actually a very simple dish of rice and beans. The version with meat is actually a variation and the meat is not integral to the dish. The idea of a Turkish rice and beans intrigued me and I decided to try making it without the meat.

Kuru Fasulye literally means “dried beans” in Turkish. These beans are then to be soaked in water for a few hours before making the stew. I found a bottle of these beans already soaked in water at my local grocery store and so I could skip this step in the recipe. But if you are trying this out with dried beans, do remember to soak it for a few hours first before you start cooking.

Kuru Fasulye is only made using white beans. This is integral to the dish and it cannot be substituted with any other beans. It is traditionally served with white rice though nowadays, you can find it served with brown rice at some places. Olive oil is used traditionally though sometimes, it might be made with butter.

Kuru Fasulye is the quintessential homemade comfort food. This recipe is part of our Rice and Beans series, which includes a recipe for the Brazilian dish Baião de Dois and the Indian dish Rajma Chawal.

Do try out the Vegan Kuru Fasulye recipe below and let us know how it turns out in the comments!

Vegan Kuru Fasulye recipe

Ingredients:
250 grams white beans (soaked and rinsed)
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4 tsps tomato puree
1 litre water + extra to cook the rice
2 tsps olive oil
1/2 cup white rice 
Salt to taste

Method:
In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Sauté the chopped onions for a few minutes till they begin to change colour. Then add the chopped bell pepper and sauté it for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped tomato and sauté that as well till the tomato softens.

Add tomato puree, beans, salt, and water to the sautéed mixture. Let the entire mixture cook for another 30-45 minutes (depending on your stove). We need the beans to cook but also the water to evaporate so do not cover the pan with a lid.

Meanwhile, in another pan or instant pot or rice cooker, add the 1/2 cup white rice and proportionate water and cook it.

Once the beans are cooked and the extra water has evaporated, leaving you with a thick stew, turn off the stove. Plate it and serve it with the cooked rice.

Enjoy!