Turkish · Lunch · Dinner
Turkish Braised Fava Beans in Olive Oil with Dill
Zeytinyağlı Bakla
Tender young fava pods gently braised with onion, dill and lemon in a light olive oil sauce, then topped with cool garlicky yogurt. A classic Turkish meze that tastes fresh, green and springlike.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 46% · Fat 34% · Protein 20%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 kg as bought (about 900 g trimmed)fresh young fava beans in their pods, trimmed and strings removed
- 1 large150 gonion
- 3 tbsp40 gextra virgin olive oil
- 1 large bunch40 gfresh dill
- 2 tbsp30 glemon juice
- 1 tbsp10 grice flour
- 1 tspsugar
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1 1/2 cups360 gwater
- 1 cup245 gplain low-fat yogurt
- 1 clovegarlic
Steps
- 1
Rinse the fava pods well under cold water.
- 2
Trim off the stem and tip of each pod and pull away any tough strings along the sides.
- 3
Cut the pods into pieces about 4 cm (1.5 in) long.
- 4
Finely chop the onion.
- 5
Chop the dill and divide it into two equal piles.
- 6
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-low heat.
- 7
Add the onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes until soft but not browned.
- 8
Add the fava pieces, half the dill, the sugar and all but a pinch of the salt, and stir for 2 minutes to coat.
- 9
Whisk the rice flour with the lemon juice and water until smooth, then pour it over the beans.
- 10
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 35–40 minutes until the pods are very tender, stirring once or twice.
- 11
Turn off the heat, scatter over the remaining dill, and let the beans rest covered for 10 minutes.
- 12
Grate the garlic into the yogurt, add the reserved pinch of salt and stir well.
- 13
Serve the beans warm or at room temperature, topped with a spoonful of the garlic yogurt.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a vegan, dairy-free version, use a plain unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt instead of the low-fat yogurt.
- If you can't find young fava pods, use flat Romano or regular green beans, which braise the same way, though they may need a little less cooking time.
- Swap the rice flour for 1 tbsp cornstarch to thicken the sauce; it stays gluten-free.
- Use thick strained Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt for a richer, creamier topping.
Storage
Refrigerate the beans and the garlic yogurt in separate covered containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days; serve the beans at room temperature or reheat until steaming hot. Freezing isn't recommended, as the pods turn mushy and the yogurt separates.
Make ahead
The braised beans are traditionally made a day ahead and taste even better once the flavours meld, so chill them and bring back to room temperature before serving. Mix the garlic yogurt up to a day ahead and keep it chilled.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Milk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (447 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 324 kcal | 72 kcal |
| Protein | 16.8 g | 3.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38.7 g | 8.7 g |
| of which sugars | 7.1 g | 1.6 g |
| Fiber | 10.4 g | 2.3 g |
| Fat | 12.5 g | 2.8 g |
| of which saturated | 2.3 g | 0.5 g |
| Sodium | 749 mg | 168 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
