Green beans stew (Fasolakia yiahni)
Green beans stew is such a popular way of preparing round green beans in the Greek and Cypriot community. We call them «γιαχνί» (yiahni) or «κοκκινιστά» (kokkinista) as they are cooked in a tomato sauce. So many delicious meals can be prepared with veggies by simply cooking them this way and adding some fresh herbs into it.
The ingredients are all wholesome and they make for a great meat free meal. However, green beans stew can be made with the addition of meat, I usually add chicken drumsticks or beef. To make the green beans stew with chicken you simply fry off the chicken drumsticks until they are browned then set aside. Next, continue with the process below, add the chicken with the rest of the ingredients and a bit more water than listed. Cook for at least 1.5 hours so that the ingredients are nice and tender.
The best way to get the sauce thicker is to not add much water to begin with, as the veggies release some too. Also the potatoes added contain starch which helps thicken the tomato sauce. Finally once the food is ready all you require is a thick piece of bread to dip into the sauce!
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- 750 g round green beans
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 large potato, chopped in small pieces
- 2 medium carrots, halved and then chopped
- 1-1½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup coriander or parsley, chopped
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Prepare the green beans by cutting off the ends and washing them well.
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Heat a pot with the olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent, followed by the garlic until it becomes aromatic.
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Pour in the tomato paste and diced tomatoes to sauté as well for 1min. Add the rest of the ingredients except from the coriander.
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Bring it to a boil and then allow it to simmer for 25min or until the beans and potatoes are cooked to your preference.
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Stir through the coriander. Serve warm with some bread, salad and yoghurt to complete the meal.
