Yakhnet Fasolia
يخنة فاصوليا·(yakh-net fa-so-lee-ya)
The Daily Yakhni: Weeknight Stews
He opens a can of white beans, stirs in a spoonful of tomato paste, and simmers the pot for twenty minutes. This weeknight routine swaps the overnight soak for speed without sacrificing the deep, earthy base, relying on high-quality canned beans and deeply seared meat. Once the garlic hisses, the smell of garlic and cilantro sizzling in hot foaming butter fills the room, delivering a fiercely savory tomato braise finished with the sputtering, garlic-heavy shock of the taqliya. Ladle the broth heavy over a bowl of vermicelli rice, and eat.
Before you start
Rigorously rinse the canned beans under cold water.
Washing away the starchy canning liquid prevents the finished stew from taking on a muddy texture, maintaining a clean, vibrant tomato broth.
Ingredients
- beef chuck roast or bone-in lamb loin chops1 lb
- ghee2 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- Lebanese Seven Spice1 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- tomato paste3 tbsp
- crushed tomatoes15 oz
- hot water or low-sodium beef broth4 cup
- canned Cannellini or large butter beans30 oz
- cloves garlic5 large
- fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems1 cup
Method
- 01
Heat one tablespoon of the ghee in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Pat the meat dry, season lightly with salt, and sear until deeply browned on all sides to create the rich, foundational flavor of the stew.
- 02
Lower the heat to medium and cook the diced onions until softened.
Stir in the Seven Spice and black pepper, letting the spices bloom and toast in the hot fat for about thirty seconds.
- 03
Clear a space in the center of the pot and fry the tomato paste directly against the hot metal for two minutes.
Cooking the paste until it darkens in color removes the raw, metallic tin flavor, a crucial technique for building depth with American pantry staples.
- 04
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the hot water or broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes until the meat is incredibly tender.
- 05
Gently stir in the rinsed canned beans and simmer uncovered for fifteen minutes.
This allows the beans to absorb the rich, gravy-like sauce without turning to mush from overcooking.
- 06
In a separate small skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of ghee over medium heat and fry the garlic and cilantro for exactly forty-five seconds.
Stir constantly until the garlic is fragrant but not browned; this is the taqliya, the grandmother's secret and the absolute crescendo of the dish.
- 07
Scrape the sizzling cilantro and garlic mixture directly into the stew pot, stir once, and immediately turn off the heat.
Cover the pot and let it sit for five minutes so the volatile essential oils infuse the stew completely before serving.
Notes
Serve this stew heavily ladled over Riz bi Sh'ayriyeh, traditional Lebanese vermicelli rice.
The rich, buttery flavor and perfectly separated grains of toasted vermicelli rice are conceptually essential to balance the bright acidity of the tomato stew.
From Cook Lebanese in America.