Fasoolia Bi Zeit (Green Beans Stir Fry)

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Mezze

Green beans stir fried in olive oil is one of the many mezze platters of Levantine Cuisine.

This dish can be had as an appetiser, or a side dish. I find that this same preparation goes very well alongside cooked meats such as steak, or whole roasted lamb tenderloin, as well as alongside baked or pan fried fish.

You can prepare this platter to be spicy – by using my green shatta, which suits very well here – or you can keep it non-spicy. Some prepare it without tomato sauce at all, others with only a few pieces of tomato without the sauce, while other cooks will prepare it with tomato pieces and tomato sauce. All versions are delicious, and therefore I have put for you both recipes (with and without tomato sauce) to try out and decide for yourself which is your preferred one…

Ingredients

Serves: 6

For Plain Green beans without Tomato Sauce

  • 500g fresh green beans (deveined)
  • 5 garlic cloves peeled & sliced thinly
  • 1 DS Green Shatta (green chili sauce, optional for spicy)
  • 500g peeled & chopped ripe fresh tomatoes
  • 4 tbsp DS Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 cup water
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, slightly fry the garlic, along with the shatta in olive oil.

Once softened but not browned add the green beans and stir to mix. cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes tossing occasionally so the beans do not brown or burn.

Add the chopped tomatoes and stir to mix. let cook for 5 minutes more, tossing occasionally.

Add 1 cup water and seasoning, stir to mix. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes to reduce.

 

For Green Beans in Tomato Sauce
Prepare as above except add 1 cup tomato juice and, and 1 tbsp tomato paste when you add the water. Stir all to mix and continue as above. you might need to leave it simmering a bit longer to reduce. The idea is to have more tomato flavour, but not a stew.

Serve at room temperature.

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