Name: Kakhetian Lobio with Oil
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 9 h 35 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 300 g dried red kidney beans, rinsed and checked for debris; At least 1.5 L cold water for soaking; discard after soaking; 1.5 L fresh water, plus more as needed to keep beans covered; 1 bay leaf; 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed; 1 green onion, optional; 22.5 ml unrefined Kakhetian sunflower oil (1½ tablespoons); 100 g red onion, thinly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 25 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 0.5 g dried mint; 5 g fine salt, or to taste

Kakhetian lobio with oil served warm beside mchadi, with herbs and pickled vegetables on a wooden table.

Yield4 servings

Serving sizeOne quarter of the prepared batch

DifficultyEasy

DietVegan; gluten-free as written

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The dish

About Kakhetian Lobio with Oil

Tender red kidney beans dressed while warm with aromatic Kakhetian sunflower oil, red onion, garlic, parsley and a hint of mint.

Lobio is a family of Georgian bean dishes, and seasonings vary by region and household. This Kakhetian-style version keeps the beans whole and dresses them while warm with the region’s distinctive sunflower oil.

The beans are soaked, boiled until fully tender, and seasoned off the heat so the oil stays fragrant. Serve warm with mchadi, bread or pickled vegetables.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Kakhetian Lobio with Oil

Beans

300 gdried red kidney beans, rinsed and checked for debris
At least 1.5 L cold water for soaking; discard after soaking

Cooking aromatics

1.5 Lfresh water, plus more as needed to keep beans covered
1bay leaf
1garlic clove, lightly crushed
1green onion, optional

Kakhetian oil dressing

22.5 mlunrefined Kakhetian sunflower oil (1½ tablespoons)
100 gred onion, thinly sliced
2garlic cloves, crushed
25 gflat-leaf parsley, chopped
0.5 gdried mint
5 gfine salt, or to taste

Method

Soak the beans. Rinse and sort the beans. Cover with at least 1.5 L cold water and soak for 8–12 hours, preferably in the refrigerator. Drain, discard the soaking water and rinse the beans again.
Start cooking in fresh water. Put the beans in a large pot with 1.5 L fresh water, the bay leaf, one lightly crushed garlic clove and the optional green onion. Add more fresh water if needed to keep the beans covered by about 3 cm.
Boil safely, then simmer. Bring the pot to a full rolling boil and boil uncovered for at least 30 minutes. Do not use a slow cooker. Lower the heat, cover partly and simmer for about 45 minutes, checking occasionally, until the beans are fully tender and crush easily. Add hot water if needed to keep them covered.
Drain and reserve liquid. Remove the bay leaf and aromatics. Drain the beans, reserving 150 ml cooking liquid. Return the hot beans to the pot.
Dress the beans. Take the pot off the heat. Add the Kakhetian sunflower oil, red onion, crushed garlic, parsley, dried mint and salt. Fold gently so the beans stay mostly whole. Add reserved cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until the dressing lightly coats the beans.
Taste and serve. Taste and adjust salt. Rest for 5 minutes so the warm beans take on the onion and herb flavor, then serve warm.
Store leftovers safely. Transfer leftovers to shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4°C or below. Use within 3–4 days; reheat to 74°C.

Practical guidance

Key tips

Salt and acidic ingredients are left out of the bean-cooking water so the beans soften evenly; season them after cooking.
Kidney beans must reach a rolling boil for at least 30 minutes before simmering. Do not cook them in a slow cooker.
Add the oil off the heat while the beans are still hot, then loosen the mixture with a little reserved bean liquid.

Practical notes

Cooking time varies. Older or drier beans may take longer to soften. Keep them covered with water and continue simmering until the center is creamy, with no firm or chalky bite.

Choosing the oil. Unrefined Kakhetian sunflower oil is the defining flavor here. If unavailable, use a fresh, flavorful unrefined sunflower oil; the result will not have exactly the same regional character.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

Serving size: One quarter of the recipe
Energy: About 300 kcal
Carbohydrates: About 45 g
Protein: About 16 g
Fat: About 6 g
Fibre: About 12 g
Sodium: About 500 mg

Estimate uses cooked kidney bean composition, a 720 g cooked-bean yield from 300 g dry beans, the listed aromatics and oil, and all 5 g finishing salt. Actual values vary with bean yield and salt added.

Allergens and food safety

No major allergen is intentionally included in the recipe; check packaged ingredients for cross-contact. Kidney beans contain phytohaemagglutinin when raw or undercooked: soak for at least 5 hours, discard the water, and boil in fresh water for at least 30 minutes before simmering until tender. Never use a slow cooker for raw kidney beans. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours at 4°C or below, use within 3–4 days, and reheat to 74°C.

Finished dish

The beans remain soft and mostly whole, lightly coated rather than swimming in oil.
Kakhetian sunflower oil, raw red onion, garlic, parsley and mint give the warm dish its clean, savory finish.