Green Bean Soup (Polievka zo Zelenej Fazule)
Ingredients: 1lb of green beans, 1.5L (~6.5 cups) of water, 2 small potatoes, 40g flour (5 tablespoons), 40g butter (1/3 stick), 2dl (small 8oz tub) of sour cream, vinegar, 1g (teaspoon) of sugar, dill
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Here is a recipe for another popular soup, one made with green beans (zelená fazuľa) and potatoes (zemiaky). Green beans, the immature bean pods, are quite healthy. They are high in vitamin C, and also contain insoluble fibers which aid in digestion. The recipe comes from “Recepty starej mamy” (Grandmother’s recipes), a classic cookbook from 1984 by M. Martišová and F. Martiš. You will find this book on many kitchen shelves in Slovakia. Note, the recipe calls for 1.5 L of water (about 6.5 cups). The resulting soup was slightly too thick for my taste – I prefer more liquid soups. If I were to prepare it again, I would increase water by at least a cup – or use less flour.
Ingredients for making green bean soup, except basics such as flour, sugar and salt. Start by washing the beans (fazuľa).
Then get chopping. Cut off the ends and then slice the beans into sections about half an inch long. Add to boiling salted water (slaná voda) along with the potatoes (zemiaky), peeled and cubed. Cover and cook until both potatoes and beans get soft. This will take about 20 minutes (dvadsať minút).
Then prepare the flour mixture to thicken the soup, zápraška. Brown about 4 tablespoons of flour (múka) on about a quarter of a butter (masľo) stick. Also add about a teaspoon worth of paprika (mletá červená paprika). Stir into the soup.
Once the flour mixture dissolves (break up large chunks by squishing them along the side of the pot), add sour cream (kyslá smotana). I used only about 3/4 of the tub, although the recipe called for more. Next add about a tablespoon of sugar (cukor) and about a teaspoon of vinegar (ocot), to taste. Let go through boil to allow the flavors to mix. Finally, top with about a handful of finely chopped dill (kôpor).
And that’s it. Serve with a slice of good rye bread. Dobrú chuť!
On Twitter or Facebook? Connect with us. Prefer email? Subscribe to the newsletter.
looks great and so yummy.
i love green beans
thanks!
Wow, I had forgotten about this wonderful soup. On my way to the market for fresh green beans.
This is a great soup as is, but it’s even better the way my grandmother made it. She added cubes of lean pork shoulder, which made it evem more of a total meal.
looks gross. but good…
I made this today…was going to try the sour bean soup but then I remembered the fresh beans wasting away in my crisper….
Only made 1/2 the recipe and now I wish I made the whole thing b/c the soup is ALL GONE!….
Even my 3yo ate it and they hate green vegetables….
…this is going to be my tomorrow’s lunch, have all the goods,…can not wait ( today, we have to finish left overs…ha ha ha..)
Whenever I did this kind of soup (with green beans, ordinary beans, lentils, or mushrooms) when I added sour cream the sour cream always separated and kind of “granulated”. It did not homogenize within the water in a pot. What I am doing wrong? I heard from some people that it should not be too cold when adding it to the hot water. Or the water in the pot should not be hot, or after adding sour cream it should not boil anymore. Nothing worked for me. I asked my mom in Slovakia and she said she use some kind of sour cream for cooking (Smotana na varenie), I am not sure what does it mean, why is it good for cooking. So I use just milk or Half&Half less sugar or not at all and more vinegar. Does anybody have a suggestion?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a real answer for you either. The same happens to me. I found that adding the cream slowly reduces this, as well as having the cream well mixed with flour. The granules dissolve though if you let the soup go through boil for a while. That is, except few big ones, which I just scoop out or squish on the side of the pot. If anybody else out here has some tips, I would love to hear them!
My mom always adds the cream/flour mixture through a very fine strainer. It actually requires two people to do – one to stir the soup as the mixture is added and one to scrape the mixture through the strainer to ensure no clumps make it through. At the end, when there are clumps left in the bottom of the strainer, she puts them back in the bowl, mixes in with a bit of water to dilute and passes them through the strainer again to ensure all of it makes it into the soup. You could do it on your own, but it’s easier with two. The key is to stir in a little at a time (don’t try to pass the entire mixture through the strainer at once). Just a little at a time.
I am not sure that Rado is talking about the same problem. Of course, there is one issue – not to have flour clamps, which usually happens when you are not able to mix flour with sour cream, or even with water when making roux (zaprasku), however Rado (I think) is talking about sour cream not able to mix with the soup and leaving kind of white granules that does not homogenize with the rest of soup.
It happens to me as well. It does not do anything to taste but it does not look so good when presented on a table. I’ve tried different things. One thing is never to boil it after adding a sour cream, though it’s hard to do, especially when adding sour cream mixed with flour, as flour needs some boiling (or at least a high temperature)
Hey, this is my approach (after trying many things). To thicken a soup I make a roux (zaprasku) and add in a soup, it always works when you make roux right and not clumpy.
I add sour cream to a soup when serving it and when it’s off the stove.
It works better. If anybody has a better way I want to hear it too, as I still don’t know how to make it right.
OK – I talked to my mom (the Slovak culinary genius) about this as I was very curious… Here’s her take on it – there are several different recommendations, so I’ll set them out individually:
1. the ‘smotana na varenie’ is equivalent to our table cream (about 17% fat). You can use that instead of the sour cream.
2. if you are using sour cream, she suggests diluting it (with table cream, milk or water) before mixing it with flour
3. as recommended previously, put the whole mixture through a strainer to ensure it’s all mixed properly (she suggests straining it into a separate bowl so when you’re ready to add it, it’s quick and you’re not messing around with a strainer and trying to stir the soup all at the same time).
4. mix it in quick – she prefers using a whisk rather than a wooden spoon to blend everything together
5. I think this is the key – hold off on the vinegar for a minute or two until the sour cream mixture is completely dissolved – the vinegar is what causes the milk/sour cream to curdle (as an experiment – see what happens when you pour some lemon juice into milk). She actually recommends skipping out on the vinegar altogether if you’re using sour cream as the vinegar then becomes redundant.
Hope this helps solve this issue. I made this soup with her about 3 weeks ago, but she made it from memory and I just did what I was told (no thinking required) and it turned out awesome (no clumps) so I’m pretty sure this will work.
Tomorrow, I attempt Segedinsky gulas for the first time ever! Wish me luck!
Rado, try adding vinegar only to the individual bowls of soup, as that tends to separate with milk if cooked.
Also, as an alternative for a much lighter (and tastier) soup, instead of adding flour, when cooking potatoes add one largish grated potato (grated into mush). This potato will thicken the soup but make it extra light. Also, you won’t see the grainy bits, as you tend to if you add flour. + it’s then suitable for anyone who can’t digest gluten.
You can make exactly same soup with dark brown lentils and various types of dried beans soaked overnight & rinsed (mine faves are the gigantic beans).
Enjoy
PS: I just read that this recipe lists sour cream – we only use full fat milk (& no butter with flour, just a bit of oil to make the soup smoother).
I would mix the sour cream really well with some of the hot soup taken from the pot (do this in a little bowl) then add it to the soup. This just a general rule I have used for other such situations.
you need to temper the sour cream before you add it. take a ladle of the water from the pot and put it in the sour cream,mix and then put it in the pot. this will bring the sour cream to room temp.
Rado. I make this soup almost every month for my kids. I do not use sour cream (kysela smotana), but I do put some regular whip cream. I would say about 1/2 cup (maybe less)
Also I do put 1 egg in the soup at the end.
Yes, curdling the sour cream in the soup is my problem. I am going to make a sour bean soup tomorrow. I would try Def Kat’s suggestions but I can’t since I do not have a sour cream at home and do not feel like going to a grocery store in this heat (42 degrees Celsius). Also I have a whole milk at home so I will use it. I guess it is almost like a table cream, maybe little bit less fatty. I will report the result.
Also does anyone know what is the equivalent of slovakian creams and sour creams (slahacky a kyselej smotany) to US creams and sour creams in regards to a fat content percentage? For example, my mom talks about creams she refers to their fat percentage. Like 16% kysla smotana, for example. Here in US I found that some Half%Half and whipping creams in had a fat percentage marked on the package, I guess it was “Total milk fat” or something similar and that percentage is different then the total fat percentage you can find in the “Nutrition Facts” chart. Those two values are different, the “Nutrition Facts” chart’s fat value is percent daily value in one serving size (serving size is different for each product). The milk fat value percentage is just portion of milk fat in the product regardless of its volume. And I’ve seen this vaue only on a few milk products probably from one manufacturer. Knowing this value would help me out to decide what US cream to use when my mom tells me, for exaple, 10%-na smotana, 33%-na smotana, etc…
My Slovak grandmother made a wonderful version of the Green Bean soup. She always included cubed potatoes and cubed pork shoulder or loin, along with the rest of the ingredients. I’m a pretty accomplished cook and I’ve tried some of the suggestions posted here, just to see if there’s any improvement over her soup. Her’s is still the best! I found that it’s absolutely mandatory to use sour cream and the vinegar. Both are important to the final taste of the dish. The addition of the potatoes and the pork added a great deal of interest and flavor. A little curdling of this soup is natural and to be expected. It does not detract from the taste. I you make a proper roux, you will not have any lumps. And, of course, always add the sour cream off the heat and do not boil once it’s added. The soup can be rewarmed slowly, without boiling and the it will not curdle as much.
I made a bean soup with white ordinary beans. I did a simpler version, with whole milk only. And no roux, I only mixed milk with a flour in separate bowl and it did not clumped when I mixed it into the soup. I added vinegar on the very end and did not boiled anymore. And no clumps. Soup was good, although not as good as my grandmom used to make it. I will do it again.
To answer your earlier question about fat percentage, I think it depends on the manufacturer. You can check out this website for percentages and definitions:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Sauces_Condiments/CreamDefinitions.htm
Next time you make your soup, do almost the same thing, but try whipping cream instead of the milk. Should taste way better.
Thanks for the link. I would try a whipping cream next time, only problem I have with whipping cream is that when I read a label I see some stuff that I do not trust. Some additives or chemicals or whatever it is. Not sure right now whether it applies to whipping cream or heavy one, I need to take a look next time in grocery store.
Hmmm…. there shouldn’t be any additives in whipping cream (before whipping, of course). If anything, just the dairy portion and some vitamins. When all else fails, go for the organic. Not sure how readily available that is where you live, but we have it in almost every grocery store and it’s not that much more expensive than the regular stuff. I find it’s worth getting organic in the dairy department (you never know what steroids or hormones those cows are given here….)
I made this soup couple days ago. I like using half and half for sour cream or heavy whipping cream. If I have none of those, I use milk-2% and butter(real not the artificial).
It looks like this soup has so many variations…:-) Anyway, I went to a grocery store and compared several diary products regular versus organic ones, such as sour cream, plain yogurt, whipping and heavy whipping creams. The result is sad, organic stuff contains pretty much just a pure product while the non organic stuff contains some pure product plus all different kinds of chemicals, preservatives, additives and replacements. That’s how industry is cheating on us. When it comes to produce, I’ve been buying a large portion of organics for some time already.
I remember my Slovak “Baba” making this. My wife and I were at a Farmer’s market and I got some green beans. I mentioned this wonderful soup my Baba used to make with green beans, potatoes and sour milk. We got home and I found this recipe. We have made it twice already and it is as great as I remember. We had it last night and my wife reduced the water so the soup was thick and hearty. I added more dill since I love the taste of dill in anything. We ate it with hard crusted Artisan bread for dipping. I am going to share it with a couple friends that I told about it.
I remember my Grandma making this, but seems like she also had bacon in it. I loved it!
That’s definitely possible. There are many variations on every Slovak recipe. It seems to me that every village made things differently. Most of these dishes probably originated by folks trying out different combinations of stuff that was left in their pantry. If you had bacon, you threw it in. Dried mushrooms, why not? Soups are definitely an important part of Slovak cuisine. They are a good way to make yourself feel full with less meat, and are also a good way to use up foods you would otherwise throw out. But because of all this, you also end up with so many different variations. In one of the cookbooks I use, there are over 100 soup recipes. Many of them are quite similar to each other. For instance, their potato soup and mushroom soup recipes are the same, except that one has more potatoes and the other has more mushrooms.
I was born in Prague but I learn this soup in Trancin. Is one of my Favorite one pot meal.
I start cook cube potatoes ,i water with little sugar , salt, pepper and vinegar just litlle, when is half way cook add green beans.smoke butt cube. when is almost done I fry onion with smoke sausage back home was chabajka with just little hot paprika and mix in cook maybe 10 more minutes . turn off and mix in sour cream or greek jogurt wisk with some flour (if use jogurt soup do not need vinegar).and last you can add chop hard boil eggs. It is so good hot or cold special second day. I do make same soup with kidney beans from can or kapustnica
I stumbled across this website looking for a Green Bean Soup recipe. I had never heard of Green Bean Soup before today and had to research the basic recipe. In doing so ran across this website – I love it! My husband’s family is German and Slovak cooking is very close to German cooking/baking. Will be bookmarking this site to refer back to often!
Thank you, Susan. You should try making this soup, it’s really delicious. And what part of Germany is your husband’s family from? I have only been to Munich (twice, last time on a way to Mongolia by train, http://www.iamlubos.com/travel/sib/sib1.php), but I absolutely love that town. I am thinking about moving there for a bit after I finish school. Even though I am originally from Europe, I spent most my adult life here in the States. It would be nice to go back to Europe for few years to get to know the old continent.
I would like to know if there is another way to do the cabbage to make halupki other than steaming. I don’t make it as often as I would cause I always scald myself and working with the cabbage is a real nuisance. I tried freezing the head of cabbage but found that also changed the texture.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!
My mom always scalded/steamed cabbage days before she nedded to use them and either put them in the refrigerator or freezer. Took them out one freezer bag at a time and made them as needed/wanted. They were always the best halupki in town! Everyone wanted her to make them for their parties and family gatherings
My dad is making it right now i love it!
It turned out great. One thing i would do is throw the beans before to cook them, since potatoes cook faster. Also i would omit vinegar. Sour cream adds already taste to soup. I didnt have dill so i added bacon or sausage.
Dakujem za recept lubos.
Oh and wanted to add that im going to tackle fazulovu polievu i remembered it much growing up and it sure got around. This soup was delish. Im not big fan of green beans i think maybe it is american thing
But everyone like it different :0)
I can’t wait to try this soup. It looks wonderful and reminds me of the Friday dishes my mom used to make for us.
Hi All, I was anxious to try this recipe but was hesitant after reading the comments on the sour cream curdling. So, I did my own spin on the recipe in a very similiar way that I make my split green pea soup…..It came out absolutely fantastic!
*Melt a tablespoon bacon fat in a stock pot
*Add 2 finely chopped large onions & sauté
*Add 2 rings of chopped Hillshire brand Polska Kielbasa & sauté
*Add 3 quarts of water & bring to a boil
*Add 6 potatoes large-diced
*Add 1-1/2 lbs of (fresh or frozen) cut green beans
*Add ½ teaspoon black pepper
*Add 2 teaspoons salt
*Add 1 heaping tablespoon vegetable base powder (optional: a good substitute for this would be 1-2 whole carrots & 1-2 stalks of celery that can be removed & discarded later)
*Add ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
*Add juice of ½ a lemon
*Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours
*Season further if necessary!
We loved string bean soup that my mother made, but I had no recipe to follow until I found this web site. My son is visit and I made this as a surprise. He loves his Babka’s soup.
is there a slovak fava bean soup? thanks
SOLVED THE GRANULAR SOUR CREAM PROBLEM!!!
Solution: never use sour cream, rather CREME FRAICHE ( pronounced krem fresh). This is very similar to sour cream but less sour and can be cooked & boiled without curdling.
You may purchase at the grocer or to make your own is very simple:
500 mL heavy cream (used for whipping cream)
Add 2-3 tablesppons buttermilk.
Set on in dark warm place covered foe 12-24 hr.
This will thicken to sour cream consistency and can be stored in the fridge for upto 2 weeks,