A delicious simple but flavoursome butter bean stew inspired by the Middle Eastern dish Fasolia, and served here with a feta yoghurt sauce and zhoug, a spicy green hot sauce originating from Yemen.
This is quite possibly the most beautiful bowl of beans I’ve ever made. A trio of perfection – the smoky, earthy beans with caramelized onions, topped with cool and creamy whipped feta and finished with a hot and zingy zhoug sauce.
Hope you love it.
Caramelized Onion Butter Beans with Feta & Zhoug
A delicious simple but flavoursome butter bean stew inspired by the middle eastern dish Fasolia, and served here with a feta yoghurt sauce and zhoug, a spicy green hot sauce originating from Yemen.
Ingredients
- 1 tin of butter beans (400g)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion, finely sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp all spices
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or glaze
- 1 tin of crushed tomatoes (400g)
- 90ml vegetable stock
For the feta sauce:
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 25g feta cheese
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the zhoug:
- 1 handful fresh coriander
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 green jalapeno, seeds removed
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Heat your oil in a saucepan and then add the sliced onions. Cook on low heat for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and golden brown.
- Add the garlic, cook for another minute, then stir in the spices, tomato paste, and balsamic. Cook for another 3 minutes so the tomato paste can release its flavour.
- Tip in the butter beans, followed by the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock.
- Stir everything together, and leave to simmer for 15 - 2- minutes.
- Before serving, top the butter bean stew with your feta sauce and the zhoug hot sauce, adding more fresh parsley if desired.
To make the toppings:
- For the feta sauce, simply combine the Greek yoghurt, crumbled feta, and lemon zest in a bowl.
- For the zhoug, add all ingredients to a blender and blitz into a slightly-textured sauce (don’t over blitz as you won’t get that lovely thick texture).
Notes
This dish is best served immediately! If you are planning on making a large batch ahead of time, I would recommend keeping the butter bean stew, the feta sauce, and the zhoug all separate until you are ready to serve. Store all three components in airtight containers and keep them in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
You can also freeze the stew - just defrost fully in the fridge before heating the stew.
