Beef and Chickpea Stew

Etli nohut is a Turkish stew of chickpeas and cubes of beef, cooked slowly in a tomato-based sauce. It is a home-style main course, cooked in large pots for family meals. The name says what is in it: "etli" means "with meat" and "nohut" means chickpea. Lamb is used in some kitchens in place of beef.

What it really is

Chickpeas are soaked, then cooked with cubes of beef, which are first browned with chopped onion. Tomato paste is stirred into the pot, followed by water, black pepper and the chickpeas, and the stew simmers gently until the meat is tender and the chickpeas are soft and thick with the sauce. Butter is added for richness. The flavour is mild and savoury rather than hot, and the chickpeas soak up the juices from the meat.

Etli nohut is a main course, and the meat and chickpeas are cooked together. Cooks differ on how much meat goes in, so the balance between meat and chickpeas changes from one kitchen to the next.

How it's served

• Hot, in a deep plate, with plenty of the sauce.
• With plain rice or rice pilaf, which soaks up the sauce.
• With bread on the side, as a simpler alternative to rice.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the meat, beef or lamb, so guests know what they are ordering.
• Flag milk, because butter is part of the classic recipe.
• Say that the chickpeas are cooked with the meat, so the dish is not vegetarian.
• Name the rice or bread served with it, and flag wheat if you serve bread.