Fasoulia Hamra

Fasoulia hamra — red bean stew — is the Lebanese cook's answer to a deep winter evening: a slow-braised pot of burgundy kidney beans and tender lamb shanks in a tomato and seven-spice broth. It is a dish of patience and simplicity, requiring little attention once on the stove, and rewards the cook with a stew of extraordinary depth. Eaten across all Lebanese households regardless of region or sect.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 400g (2 cups) dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 600g (1¼ lb) bone-in lamb shoulder or neck, cut into 5cm (2-in) pieces
• 400g (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 litres (6 cups) water
• 2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil
• 1½ tsp (5g) Lebanese seven-spice (baharat)
• 1 tsp (3g) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp (2g) ground allspice
• ½ tsp (2g) black pepper
• 1 tsp (4g) salt, plus more to taste
• 2 bay leaves

To Serve

• 2 tbsp (8g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, quartered
• Short-grain white rice or Lebanese flatbread

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb pieces in batches 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pot, reduce heat to medium and fry onion 7–8 minutes until soft and golden. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes.
3. Add seven-spice, cinnamon, allspice, and black pepper; stir 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and cook 5 minutes until darkened and beginning to stick.
5. Return lamb to the pot. Add the soaked kidney beans, bay leaves, salt, and water. Bring to a vigorous boil for 10 minutes (important for kidney bean safety), then reduce to a gentle simmer.
6. Cover and braise 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are completely tender and lamb falls from the bone. Skim foam from the surface as needed. If the stew thickens too much, add water.
7. Discard bay leaves. Adjust seasoning — it may need more salt and a pinch more baharat.
8. Serve scattered with fresh parsley and lemon wedges, with rice or bread to soak up the rich broth.

Cook's Notes: Never salt beans at the start of soaking or before they are fully cooked — it toughens the skins. The vigorous 10-minute boil at step 5 is essential to neutralize lectins in raw kidney beans. This stew improves enormously on the second day.