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Lubia pokhte
Lubia pokhte (لوبیا پخته): Tehran street-cart pinto beans with golpar and lemon
On cold winter mornings in Tehran, steam rises from street carts selling lubia pokhte: pinto beans simmered with a pinch of salt until soft as butter, ladled into a cup with some of their cooking liquid and sprinkled with golpar, the citrusy ground seed of Persian hogweed, plus a squeeze of lemon. It is cheap, warming and filling. The mistake is salting the water at the start; add salt once the beans are tender or the skins stay tough. Chef's tip: skim the foam in the first 10 minutes and keep the beans at a lazy simmer, never a rolling boil, so they stay whole but creamy inside.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz dried pinto beanssoaked overnight
- 2 litres water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lemoncut into wedges
- 1 tsp dried mint (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz dried pinto beans, put them in a large pan with 2 litres water and bring to the boil. Skim off the foam for the first 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Lower the heat and simmer half-covered for 1½–1¾ hours, adding hot water to keep them covered, until a bean crushes easily between your fingers.
100 minStep 3: Stir in 1 tsp salt and simmer 5 minutes more. The liquid should be lightly thickened and savoury.
Step 4: Ladle the beans with a little liquid into cups, sprinkle with 2 tsp ground golpar (angelica powder) and 1 tsp dried mint, and serve with 1 lemon to squeeze over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lubia pokhte take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
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