Jani me Fasule (Jani me fasule)
Overview
Jani me fasule is a thick white bean soup that is often called the national dish of Albania. Dried white beans are soaked overnight and simmered until creamy with onion, then flavoured with a sauce of olive oil, tomato paste, sweet paprika and dried mint fried together in a pan. Some cooks add carrot, celery or a little pork or sausage, but the classic everyday version is meat-free. The result is a rich, brick-red soup that is somewhere between a soup and a stew. It is eaten with plenty of fresh bread, and sometimes with pickled peppers on the side.
History
Beans have long been one of the most important foods of rural Albania, and jani me fasule is cooked in almost every home. It is especially common during Orthodox and Catholic fasting periods, when meat is avoided, and it was a staple meal during the hard years of the twentieth century. Similar bean soups such as Greek fasolada and Serbian pasulj are made across the Balkans.
Main ingredients
White beans, onion, tomato paste, paprika, dried mint, olive oil. The soup is built on bean cooking water and is usually served hot. Diet: vegan; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Bean soups · Tomato soups · Mint soups
Recipe
Method
- 15 min
Boil the beans for 5 minutes, drain and cover with 2 l fresh water.
- 270 min
Add one onion and the bay leaves and simmer for 70 minutes until creamy.
- 31 min
Fry the second onion in the oil, then stir in the tomato paste, paprika and mint for 1 minute.
- 415 min
Stir the sauce into the beans, simmer for 15 minutes, season and serve with bread.
- ✓
Serve. About 1h 45m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
