Georgian Beans (Lobio)
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2cups dry red kidney beans
- 1large onion, chopped fine
- 2carrots, chopped fine
- 1rib celery, chopped fine
- 8pitted prunes
- ⅓cup balsamic vinegar, plus 1 tablespoon
- 3cloves garlic
- 1tablespoon tamarind paste
- ½teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- 1teaspoon coriander seed
- ½teaspoon fenugreek
- 5tablespoons olive oil
- ¼cup fresh cilantro
- ¼teaspoon salt or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
- Step 1
Soak beans overnight or cook beans for 2 minutes in plenty of water and allow to sit for one hour.
- Step 2
Drain water from beans and add plenty of fresh water to cover with onion, carrots and celery. Cover and simmer for about one hour, until beans are tender, but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
- Step 3
Simmer the prunes in ⅓ cup of the vinegar for 20 minutes.
- Step 4
With food processor running, put garlic through tube. Add remaining vinegar, tamarind paste, hot pepper flakes, coriander seed, fenugreek, olive oil, prunes and vinegar and process to a paste. Add the cilantro and process to chop fine. Season with salt and pepper. Stir into warm beans.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I think this can be too sweet, depending on your balsamic. I would cut back on the prunes a little. Also, I used tkemali—the Georgian plum sauce—rather than substituting tamarind.
Odd recipe, but I replaced the prunes (and several other of the sauce ingredients) with a cup or so of pomegranate syrup (which I expect to find in Georgian versions of this dish) and it came out pretty well.
This was a dud for us. The prunes gave it this horrible sweetness that I’ve tasted in no region of Georgia. I wonder where they came up with it, or if it was from the tkhemali plum sauce. It was a horrible substitute. It needs lots more garlic, lots more cilantro, more salt, remove the prunes and tamirand. I honestly wonder if the people rating this four stars have ever been to Georgia or eaten at a Georgian restaurant.
I didn't have prunes, so I substituted them with some dates and a piece of dried mango. Also super yummy!
I think this can be too sweet, depending on your balsamic. I would cut back on the prunes a little. Also, I used tkemali—the Georgian plum sauce—rather than substituting tamarind.
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