Georgian Recipes

Lobio (Georgian: ლობიო) is a popular Georgian dish made with kidney beans and usually eaten with Mchadi and marinated vegetables. The Georgian word ‘lobio’ means ‘beans’. There are a number of varieties of this dish and in this family recipe we show how to make lobio flavored with Ajika and walnuts. Ajika (Georgian: აჯიკა) is a hot, spicy paste used to flavor meat and fish dishes mainly in Samegrelo and Abkhazia. It is made with hot peppers, garlic, herbs and spices.

Ingredients: 800 grams of lobio (kidney beans), 200 grams of crushed walnuts, 100 grams of butter, 1 heaped tbs of Ajika (click here for recipe), 2 bay leaves, half tsp of Summer Savory, 1 level tsp of dried coriander, 1 tsp of hot red pepper (optional), 2 medium size red onions, and salt (amount dependent upon personal preference).

Preparation: Soak the beans in a deep cooking pot of cold water for at least two hours prior to cooking. Drain water and add the bay leaves. Fill with fresh water. Cook on a medium heat until the beans are tender.

Remove the cooked beans from the pot and add to a bowl. Keep the water that the beans were boiled in. Add 1 heaped tbs of Ajika and 100 grams of butter.

Mash the butter, beans and ajika.

Add 200 grams of crushed walnuts, half tsp of Summer Savory, 1 level tsp of dried coriander, salt, and 1 tsp of hot red pepper (optional)

Mash the ingredients.

Chop the onions and add to the bowl, together with 200 ml of the water that was used to boil the lobio beans. Add more lobio water if you want to make a smoother lobio.

Mix and stir thoroughly.

Serving: Serve hot. We garnished ours with red onion. Lobio is usually eaten with Mchadi and marinated vegetables.

Enjoy your mashed Lobio with Ajika and Walnuts!