Hungarian yellow wax bean stew (Zöldbabfőzelék)
This is a wonderful summer vegetarian meal made with freshly picked yellow wax beans, a good portion of sour cream, minced garlic and a pinch of paprika powder. It goes so well either by itself or as a side with fried eggs. Főzelék is a special category in Hungarian cuisine, a type of thick Hungarian vegetable stew. Főzelék is often eaten as the main course for lunch or like a garnish for different meat courses. This is a delicious summer dish, quick and easy recipe to make, done in 30 minutes. It can be served at room temperature, warmed, or my favorite — cold. Here is my recipe:
Recipe
Ingredients for 4 people:
500 grams (17.5 ounces) of yellow wax beans – ends removed and cut into 3-4 cm (1,5 inch) long pieces
800 ml (3,5 cups) of water
2 good tablespoons of rice flour
250 grams (1 cup) of sour cream
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 coffee spoon of sweet paprika powder
salt to taste
Directions:
Cook the beans in salted water until tender.
In a bowl whisk together the sour cream, the paprika powder, the minced garlic and the flour. Slowly begin to add spoonfuls of the water of the beans to the sour cream-flour mixture, stirring until smooth. When the it is possible to pour, add it to the beans, stirring constantly, to avoid clumping. (You cannot add the sour cream-flour mixture directly to the hot liquid, as it will cause it to curdle. You need to temper the sour cream first.)
Bring it to a boil, it will thicken up. Simmer for another 1 minute and it is done. Salt to taste.
Enjoy!
Love love love this soup! My Hungarian friend makes it for whenever I visit. Thank you for posting the recipe!
Thank you for your post
But as I watched my mother prepare her wax beans we also use canned beans. To the best of my knowledge my mother at the end would make a Rue using oil and flour. Is that correct my mothers passed away she was from Budapest and I’m trying to remember some of the dishes that she used to make. God bless her
Hello Cynthia,
I never make roux (toast flour in oil) when making this recipe, I just mix flour and sour cream.
I make roux for the bean soup, potato soup, spinach cream soup and yellow wax bean soup.
Probably your mother made the soup not the stew?
Agnes
Hallo, Cynthia, my mom also made a roux for this and some other Hungarian veg dishes that use sour cream. The latter arrived at the very end, after the roux was thoroughly cooked in. She was also Hungarian and made many of the classic dishes on this site, which is a really, super website for authentic Hungarian cooking.
She also made a dish where it was a layered casserole not sure how to prepare this. Hungarian
Sausage egg potato and sour cream was the ingredients can you help
Hello Cynthia,
Here is the recipe for the layered potatoes.
https://budapestcookingclass.com/hungarian-layered-potatoes-rakott-krumpli-2/
Agnes