Turkish Lamb with White Beans Recipe: Etli Kuru Fasülye

Etli kuru fasulye is the Turkish home-cooked stew of lamb and white beans. You brown lamb shoulder in butter, simmer it with soaked beans, tomato, and red pepper, then finish everything in a covered clay pot in the oven until the beans turn tender.

Serve it with White Rice Pilaf and cucumbers with yogurt and mint.

If you would rather eat the dish than cook it, see where to order it in the best white bean stew in Istanbul, and browse more Turkish recipes to round out the meal.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 900 gr boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups dried beans, soaked overnight
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 2 cups lamb stock or water
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 medium green peppers, chopped crosswise
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley

Method

1. In a heavy medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over high heat. Add the lamb chunks and brown the meat all over for about 6 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then add the tomato paste, tomatoes, beans, Turkish red pepper, and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the saucepan and simmer for 45 minutes, skimming the surface occasionally to remove any scum that rises to the top.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F.
3. Transfer the mixture to a clay pot. Add the green peppers. Cover the pot and cook in the oven for 1 hour or until the beans are tender but not mushy. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

White beans run all the way through Turkish home cooking, and Istanbul is where you can taste how widely they vary from kitchen to kitchen. On the Taste of Two Continents tour, we have introduced more than 50,000 guests to Istanbul food since 2013, with a max of 10 people per group and a 4.95/5 rating from over 7,800 reviews.