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Zöldbableves (Hungarian green bean soup)
Zöldbableves: tangy Hungarian green bean soup with paprika roux and sour cream
Zöldbableves is a summer soup from Hungarian home kitchens, made when green beans are cheap at every market: tender beans in a light broth, soured with a little vinegar and thickened with a paprika roux and sour cream, so it is creamy, gently tart and bright red-orange. It is served as the first course of a weekday lunch or as a light supper with bread. The classic mistake is pouring cold sour cream straight into the hot soup, where it splits into flecks; temper it first. Chef's tip: let the roux turn just golden before adding the paprika off the heat, because paprika burns in seconds and turns bitter.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- 14 oz green beanstrimmed, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 1 carrotdiced
- 5 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
For the roux and finish
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz green beans, 1 carrot, 5 cups water, 1 tsp salt and 1 bay leaf in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 12–15 minutes until the beans are tender but still green.
15 minStep 2: Meanwhile, warm 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a small pan over a medium heat, stir in 2 tbsp plain flour and cook, stirring, until it smells nutty and turns pale gold, about 3 minutes. Take it off the heat, add 2 cloves garlic and 1 tsp sweet paprika and stir for 10 seconds.
3 minStep 3: Whisk a ladle of the hot soup into the roux until smooth, then stir it back into the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring, until the soup thickens slightly.
3 minStep 4: Add 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar and 1 tsp sugar, then taste: it should be gently tart, not sharp.
Step 5: Whisk ¾ cup sour cream in a bowl with 2 ladles of hot soup, then pour it back into the pan off the boil. Heat through without boiling, remove the bay leaf, scatter with 2 tbsp parsley and serve.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zöldbableves (Hungarian green bean soup) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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