🇪🇹 Ethiopian · Lentils, Beans & Vegetarian
🫑 Ethiopian String Bean Stew
ፋሶሊያ — Fasolia
Ethiopian Fasolia — string beans (or runner beans) cooked with onion, garlic, tomato, and a touch of turmeric. The green vegetable element on the Ethiopian fasting platter — simple, clean, and providing the fresh vegetal contrast to the richer lentil and pea stews.
Fasolia is the green vegetable anchor of the Ethiopian fasting platter — while Misir Wat provides red richness and Kik Alicha provides golden mildness, Fasolia provides the fresh green note. The string beans are cooked until just tender, retaining colour and texture.
Ingredients
Equipment: Wide pan
- 400g string beans — trimmed, halved
- 2 onions — diced
- 3 tomatoes — diced
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
Method
- Heat oil. Cook onion until golden — 7 minutes.
- Add garlic and turmeric. Stir 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes.
- Add string beans. Stir to coat.
- Cook covered 12—15 minutes until beans are tender.
- Season.
Chef Tips
- String beans should be tender but not soft — they should retain a little bite.
- The turmeric is light — just enough to colour the sauce golden.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Over-cooking — beans become grey and mushy.
The Science
String beans contain chlorophyll — the green pigment that is destroyed by acid and long heat exposure. Cooking for 12—15 minutes retains most of the chlorophyll; longer cooking causes it to convert to pheophytin (grey-green). Adding a pinch of bicarbonate of soda preserves the green colour but overcooks the texture — not recommended.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Vitamins A, C, and K from beans.
- Very low calorie.
- Good source of fibre.
Cultural Note
Fasolia provides the green balance on the Ethiopian fasting platter — a reminder that Ethiopian vegetarian cooking encompasses not just the filling legume stews but the fresh vegetables that make the meal nutritionally complete.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate 3 days.
Reheating: Gently.
Serve with: Injera (ETH001), On the fasting platter alongside Misir Wat and Kik Alicha