Welcome to part 3 of Georgian Food Month. Click here for part 1 (Phkali– a spinach and walnut dip) or part 2 (Kharcho Soup – vegan/non-veg versions).

I’m a big fan of red beans for their nutrition and versatility. They can be thrown into chili, made into ice cream, used in baking and of course refried beans. This is a version of the Georgian red bean dish called Lobio. Incidently, the Hindi word is lobia (it’s a small world on the silk road).

The traditional lobio is closer to a stew. I decided to make this into more of a dip. For a touch of smokiness and heat there is also a guajillo chili and cayenne. Most of the spices will be familiar but Georgians really like blue fenugreek, a hard to find ingredient. If this isn’t available in your area, a little bit of walnuts can add nuttiness and some sage can provide a pleasant aroma, that’s almost floral. It was incredibly easy to throw together since canned beans were used. We had this with chips, but traditionally, lobio is eaten with mchadi, a gluten free fried corn bread.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
16 oz red kidney beans
1 guajillo chili
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
½ onion, chopped small
Handful of cilantro
1 tsp blue fenugreek (alternately, regular fenugreek or sage, plus 1 tsp walnuts crushed)
cayenne pepper to taste
pepper to taste
salt to taste

Method:
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in pan. Add in bay leaves, onions, garlic and chili. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the onions gets wilted and garlic browns add in all beans, cilantro, remaining spices and about a ½ cup of water. Mix everything well. Cook for about 10 minutes. Transfer into a bowl and mash coarsely. It can be served hot or cold but hot is tastier.