Lobio with Mchadi and Pickled Cucumbers

1. 1 Dried beanspack 500 g ≈ $1.90 90 g
2. 2 Onions≈ $1.60 per kg 90 g
3. 3 Garlic≈ $10.00 per kg 6 g
4. 4 Cilantropack 50 g ≈ $1.20 10 g
5. 5 Khmeli-suneli 2 g
6. 6 Cornmealpack 700 g ≈ $2.40 55 g
7. 7 Pickled cucumberspack 680 g ≈ $3.20 60 g
8. 8 Sunflower oil 12 ml
9. 9 Salt 3 g
10. 10 Ground black pepper 1 g

Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.

Method

1. Soak the beans for 8–10 hours, then drain and rinse.

2. Cover with fresh water and simmer for 75–90 minutes until tender.

3. Finely chop the onion² and sauté in half the oil over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until golden.

4. Add the onion², minced garlic³, 1 tsp hmel-suneli, 2 g salt, and black pepper to the beans; mash some of the beans for thickness; simmer 5 minutes.

5. Mix cornmeal⁶ with 1 g salt and 60 ml hot water, let sit 5 minutes to hydrate, then shape into 2 small flatbreads.

6. Pan-fry the mchadi in the remaining oil for 4–5 minutes per side until golden and firm.

7. Stir chopped fresh dill into the lobio and serve with mchadi and pickled⁷ cucumbers.