Persian bean stew is a fantastic vegan dish that is, unfortunately, quite a forgotten dish. But it is terrific. About 15 minutes of preparation and then slow cooking. It couldn’t be easier.
You can make the bean stew with the beans that you like. I happened to have kidney beans and black-eye beans at home, so it had to be the two I have now used in the stew.
I’ve been thinking about this dish for a long time. I remember something similar being served as a snack to those who drank alcohol in Iran. – I still remember the aroma from the snack today.
I had to go by my instincts to be able to cook this stew. The clips I watched on YouTube were missing something, I thought. How do I know that? I can feel the flavors when I check out YouTube – that’s just the way it is.
You have to wash and soak the beans the night before. If you start cooking it early in the morning the next day – then it’s ready for lunch.
I cooked it for a Persian class I held for 10 people. They were delighted, and everyone wanted the recipe – so here it is.
Ingredients (6 servings)
| 3 dl black-eye beans | The sauce |
| 3 dl kidney beans | 1 – 2 Tbsp clarified butter or oil |
| 1 yellow (yellow) | 1 yellow onion |
| 2 – 3 carrots | 1 tsp dried thyme |
| 3 celery stalks | 0,5 tsp salt |
| 1.5 tsp salt | ¼ tsp black pepper |
| ¼ tsp black pepper | 1 Tbsp cumin |
| 1 tsp turmeric | 1 tsp turmeric |
| 3 – 4 bay leaves | 3 cloves of garlic |
| 2 vegetable bullion | 2 Tbsp tomato puree |
| 6 – 7 dl of water + an additional 2 dl (boiling water) | 2 – 3 dl water |
| 2 Tbsp clarified butter or oil | 2 tsp lemon juice |
| Other seasonings: 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried basil | |
Method
- Wash the beans and soak them in water the night before you prepare the stew.
- Peel and chop two pcs. Yellow onions (one for the stew and one for the sauce).
- Wash and cut 3 – 4 pcs. stalk celery in tiny pieces.
- Wash, peel, and dice 3 pcs. The carrots into small pieces.
- Melt some clarified butter in a large pot. You can replace it with oil.
- When the pot is hot (at least 130° (C)) or 266° (F), add 1 finely chopped onion, diced celery, and carrots.
- Sprinkle over 0.5 tsp of salt and stir. Fry the vegetables for 7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- After 7 minutes, mix well with the strained soaked beans, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp turmeric.
- Add 6 – 7 dl of water to barely cover the beans.
- Put in 2 pcs. of Vegetable bullion, put the lid on, and bring it to a boil.
When it starts to boil, lower the heat. It should simmer gently! - Add 3 – 4 pcs. bay leaves – put the lid on, and don’t forget to set a timer! Now it should simmer for 5 hours.
- Now you can start with the sauce. First, add 2 tablespoons of clarified butter or oil to a large frying pan.
- When the pan is 130° (C) or 266° (F), add 1 pc. of finely chopped onion. Fry the onion for 10 minutes.
- Add 1 tsp thyme, 0.5 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, and 1 tsp turmeric. Stir to mix everything well.
- Then add 3 garlic cloves and continue frying for a short while (30 – 40 seconds). Then add the tomato puree and continue to fry for one minute.
- Then add 1–3 dl of water – when the sauce boils again, lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. Set the sauce aside when ready.
- Check the pot from time to time – if more water is needed, add more (boiling) water. I added 2 dl of boiling water – so there will be about 9 dl of water. Take a little at a time, and feel free to stir the pot occasionally.
- After 4 hours – remove the bay leaves, add the sauce to the pot, and stir.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. I added 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of oregano, and 1 tsp of basil.
- Let the pot continue to cook until you are satisfied with the consistency of the beans. It takes about 5 hours in total.
Serve it with a loaf of tasty bread.
Note: Beans are excellent to pre-boil and put in the freezer. Then it is effortless to prepare this stew. All you have to do is take the beans out of the freezer and then roast the vegetables – make the sauce, mix everything together, and let the beans thaw in the pot. Of course, the same applies to ready-cooked beans, but you have to rinse the beans well.
Enjoy!
