Lobio is a bean stew originating from the country of Georgia. Traditionally, dry beans are used and prepared by first soaking in water before cooking. The beans are cooked with onions, garlic and spices. They are stewed until tender.
Since lobio simply means beans, it has a lot of different recipe variations and appearances. Lobio can vary by region. In the Western regions, it is preferred spicy while in the East, it has a mild flavor. Some lobio’s contain walnut paste, which can be used to thicken the stew.
Many types of beans are used to make lobio, but the most common is red kidney beans. Some variations contain a tart ingredient for flavor, this can be pomegranate juice, sour cherry juice, tkemali (a sour plum sauce) or even vinegar.
The beans can be left whole, mashed or even pureed. A few variations contain meat, those are usually served hot but some variations are eaten cold. Lobio is eaten with marinated vegetables and mchadi. Mchadi is a Georgian cornbread which is cooked by frying. Marinated vegetables are a Georgian staple. Marinated peppers are particularly popular.
Origin & Cultural Significance
Lobio is a staple in Georgian households and is often considered to be one of the Georgian national dishes. It has most elements of a traditional Georgian meal – stew, fresh herbs, oil, bread and vegetables.
Georgian Lobio Recipe
Lobio is a bean stew originating from the country of Georgia. Traditionally, dry beans are used and prepared by first soaking in water before cooking.
Ingredients
- Red kidney beans, dry - 14 oz.
- Onions - 4 oz.
- Cilantro - 2 oz.
- Garlic cloves - 2
- Salt - to taste
- Dried coriander - 1 pinch
- Blue Fenugreek - ½ tbsp
- Bay leaves - 3
- Black pepper - 1 tsp
- Oil - 2.5 oz.
Instructions
- Soak beans in cold water for at least two hours to overnight prior to cooking.
- Drain water and add beans, bay leaves and salt to a deep pot containing 1.5 liters of water
- Cook on a medium heat until the beans are tender.
- Chop the fresh cilantro and onions.
- Add fresh and dried coriander, blue Fenugreek, garlic, black pepper and a pinch of salt to a mortar.
- Grind the ingredients with a pestle.
- Fry the chopped onions in a pan of hot oil.
- Drain the water from the cooked kidney beans but keep about
7 ounces in a separate container to use later. - Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash the beans to the side of the pot.
- Add the ingredients that were crushed in a mortar, together with fried onions and the oil they were fried in.
- Mash slightly then add the 7 oz of saved bean water.
- Cook on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally, then serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 307Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 155mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 8gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g