Lobio (Georgian kidney bean stew)
Red kidney beans slowly cooked and partly mashed with onion, walnuts, coriander, garlic and blue fenugreek. Served in clay pots with cornbread and pickles.
- 115 min15 prep · 100 cook
- EasyDifficulty
- 420 kcalper serving
Ingredients
- Dried red kidney beans400 g
- Onions2
- Sunflower oil2 tbsp
- Walnuts60 g
- garlic3 cloves
- Blue fenugreek (utskho suneli)1 tsp
- Ground coriander1 tsp
- chilli flakes1 pinch
- Red wine vinegar1 tbsp
- Fresh coriander20 g
- Pomegranate seeds2 tbsp
- Saltto taste
- Black pepperto taste
Missing something? Ingredients with × can be left out.
Steps
- 1
Soak the beans overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water and boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer until very tender.
- 2
Meanwhile, fry the finely chopped onions in the oil until soft and golden.
- 3
Pound or blitz the walnuts with the garlic, fenugreek, ground coriander, chilli and a pinch of salt into a coarse paste.
- 4
Drain the beans, keeping some liquid. Mash about half of them roughly in the pot, leaving the rest whole.
- 5
Stir in the onions, walnut paste and vinegar with enough cooking liquid to make it thick and creamy. Simmer gently and season.
- 6
Stir through the chopped coriander, scatter with pomegranate seeds and serve hot with cornbread and pickles.
Tips and questions
- Can I use tinned beans?
- Yes: use three 400 g tins, drained, and simmer them with a little water for 15 minutes before mashing.
- Why boil dried kidney beans hard at first?
- Raw kidney beans contain a toxin that only a vigorous 10-minute boil destroys; a slow cooker alone is not enough.
- Is it eaten hot or cold?
- Both. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and many Georgians prefer it cold the next day.
Enjoy your meal!
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