Kuru fasulye translates terribly into English as “dry beans”. However, anyone who’s tasted this dish knows that these beans are nothing of the sort. Although kuru fasulye joints can be found all over the city, I’ve come across one that, in my opinion, is the king of them all. A friend of mine had told me about these melt-in-your mouth beans at Bizce Kuru in Ortaköy. But having eaten quite a few platefuls of this ubiquitous dish, I was skeptical that they were really that much better than what I am used to eating.
So one day we meandered into the shop and ordered us up some beans. And wow, was I proven wrong. My taste buds found themselves bathed in a savory, sweet — dare I say caramelized — sensation. Nothing short of amazing. My sons ate a plateful each, and talked about the beans for the rest of the day. Even when we were back in the States this summer, these heavenly beans crept into our conversations. I did extrapolate from the waiter that the beans were şeker fasulye, and were baked rather than cooked on the stovetop. I tried this method myself and, while I managed the taste, I didn’t manage to keep the beans from turning into mush. Bizce Kuru’s beans, however, are beautifully intact and delicious. How they achieved this I am still on a quest to find out. In the meantime, I will visit this simple, straightforward shop to get my kuru fasulye fix. They have other menu items, but the beans really are the star of the show.
Bizce Kuru
Dereboyu Cad. No: 52
Ortaköy 34347
Istanbul
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