In Hungary wax beans or yellow beans are more popular than green beans, soup and stew (főzelék) are more often made with them. Wax beans do not contain chlorophyll, this is the reason why they look different than the usual green beans, however, they taste remarkably similar. While green beans tend to lose some of their vivid hue when cooked, wax bean’s pale yellow color remains even after being blanched.

The wax bean stew I usually make is thickened with flour and sour cream, without roux, and it doesn’t contain paprika. If you can’t obtain wax beans, you can substitute them with green beans. I prefer to season the stew with dill, but parsley also goes well with it.

Ingredients:

• 800 g (~1 3/4 lbs) wax beans, trimmed and cut into 3-4 cm / 1-1,5 inch pieces
• 1,2-1,4 l (~5-6 cups) water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 -1 tbsp dill or parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 150 g (~1 1/4 cups) sour cream
• 80 g (~2/3 cup) flour
• 200 ml (~3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) water
• 2 cloves of garlic

Put wax beans in a pot and pour in water (5-6 cups) just enough to cover the food. Add salt and cook until tender.

Once the beans are done, in a small bowl mix together flour, sour cream, crushed garlic and 200 ml of water. Mix in some hot cooking liquid, then pour the mixture into the pot while stirring. Season with finely chopped dill or parsley and bring it to a boil while stirring constantly. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve hot, and feel free to flavour your wax bean stew with sugar and/or vinegar.