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Lobio of canned beans

Lobio (Georgian Bean Stew) from Canned Beans

P.S. Georgians, forgive me if you can... A fragrant, spiced, and slightly hot Georgian appetizer with one little secret. These days I make lobio only this way.

UnicornSteak

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Canned beans (red)

400

Walnuts

Onion (red)

Cilantro

Garlic

Paprika (I use smoked)

Khmeli-suneli

Red wine vinegar

Sunflower oil

Ground hot pepper

Salt

Sugar

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 14 % 5 g

Fats 46 % 16 g

Carbohydrates 40 % 14 g

222 kcal

GI: 21 / 0 / 79

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

How do you make lobio from canned beans? Start by lightly toasting the shelled walnuts in a dry skillet (no oil). As soon as they smell fragrant and turn golden, take them off the heat and let them cool a little. Meanwhile, rinse the cilantro well under running water and drain it in a colander so all the water runs off.
Step 2:

Peel the red onion and cut it into strips about 3/4 inch (2 cm) long. A white or yellow onion works just as well.
Step 3:

Heat 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a skillet and add the onion. Once it softens a little, stir in the paprika and ground black pepper.
Step 4:

Now drain the canned red beans in a colander. Don't throw out the liquid — we'll need it later!
Step 5:

Add the beans to the skillet to warm through and fry for 2–3 minutes over medium heat.
Step 6:

Now pour the reserved bean liquid into the skillet. Simmer the dish for 20–25 minutes, stirring. If the liquid cooks off too soon, add a splash of boiling water and keep simmering. The idea is to give the main ingredients time to mingle and "fall in love" with each other.
Step 7:

Now for the walnuts. You can grind them in a blender, but I like the nuts to have some texture in the dish, so I just chop them fairly fine with a knife.
Step 8:

Chop the cilantro, too. If you're not a cilantro fan, you can use parsley instead — though cilantro really does belong in this dish.
Step 9:

In a separate bowl, combine the walnuts, cilantro, finely grated garlic, 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, the red wine vinegar, and the khmeli-suneli. Season with salt to taste.
Step 10:

By now almost all the liquid has cooked off the beans. To check, push the beans aside in the middle of the pan with a spatula and see how much liquid is left — there should be just a little.
Step 11:

Go ahead and add the cilantro-walnut mixture to the pan. And now for my signature secret: at this point I stir 1 tablespoon of sugar into the lobio to give the dish one more layer of flavor.
Step 12:

Stir well and simmer another two or three minutes. Done!

I love Georgian food. Every now and then I try to whip up "something along those lines" and treat myself and my family to dishes that feel a little exotic to us. Lobio made this way has become a huge hit with my family. It's a pretty budget-friendly dish that's guaranteed to fill the whole house with amazing aromas and wake up everyone's appetite. I serve lobio as a warm appetizer on slices of dark rye bread. It's delicious. Enjoy!
Important! The wrong skillet can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, see here.
Any oil is only good up to a certain temperature — its smoke point, beyond which it starts to burn and forms toxic compounds, including carcinogens. For how to gauge frying temperature, pick the best oil for the job, and know which oils to avoid entirely, read here.
If you use store-bought spice blends, be sure to read the label. They often already contain salt, so keep that in mind or you risk over-salting the dish.