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Makhloota

Posted in : Recipes, Soups, Vegan only, Vegetarian & Vegan main Dishes on by : el Meza

12Makhloota – Hearty Grain Soup

Makhloota is a traditional Lebanese stew made from grains and legumes.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 90-120 minutes

Diet type: Vegetarian, Vegan

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: Middle Eastern


Ingredients (6 servings)

  • 1/2 cup of Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
  • 1/2 cup of Pinto beans
  • 1/2 cup of wheat grains
  • 1/4 cup of lentils
  • 1/4 cup or green (cut in half) or dried beans
  • 1/4 cup of rice
  • 1/4 cup of Burghul (cracked wheat)
  • 1 large potato head cut in small pieces
  • 2 large onions finely minced
  • 3 table spoons of Vegetable Oil (or other oils) 
  • 2 table spoons of olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preparation 

Soak the wheat, pinto beans dried beans and chickpeas in separate water containers overnight. Make sure to have a lot of water in the containers since the grains may triple or even quadruple in size. The following day right before cooking, empty the water and rinse the beans a bit.

When ready to cook, first add the wheat to a cooking pot with 12 cups of water, and let it boil for 20 minutes on low heat

Then add the garbanzo beans and let the pot boil for another 20 minutes on low heat.

Then add the pinto beans and the dried beans and let the pot boil for another 20 minutes. The reason we add the beans sequentially is because wheat takes the longest time to cook, followed by garbanzo beans and followed by pinto beans. But time may vary and may need to be increased if the beans are older. The beans/grains are cooked when the loose their crunchiness and turn soft that you can smash them with your fingers.

While the beans are boiling, mince the onions and fry them in 3-4 table spoons of coconut oil** (or other vegetable oils) for about 20-30 minutes or until they turn medium brown (don’t burn them) while stirring every now and then.

Peel then chop the potato head into small cubes of about 1/2 inch.

Rinse the rice and lentils then strain them.

After the pinto beans have boiled for 20 minutes, add the rice, lentils, onions, chopped potatoes, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, mix well, and let simmer for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add the green beans.

Serving and Tips

Serve hot.

A well done stew should have its beans and grains soft, and having lost their crunchiness.

Cooking time may not always be fully relevant because if the grains are old, they will take longer to cook and you may need to add another 30-45 minutes to simmering.

If you use a pressure cooker, you will need less cooking time.

If the water level in the stew goes down a lot (absorbed by grains) feel free to add 2-3 more cups while boiling.

You can store the leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days, and when reheating add a bit of water as needed.

 

 

 

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