Makhlouta
Makhlouta means “mixture” in Arabic, and that is exactly what it is: a soup of whatever the pantry holds — white beans, chickpeas, lentils, red beans and bulgur wheat, cooked together until soft and seasoned with cumin. Lebanon makes it in winter, often during fasting, since it is entirely plant-based and very filling. A mountain of fried onion and olive oil goes on top. The pulses need an overnight soak, but after that it cooks itself, and the longer it stands the thicker and better it gets.
Your own work in that: 20 min.
- Soaking the pulses 480 min
- Cooking 75 min
- Fried onion 25 min
- Seasoning and serving 20 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneSoak the pulses
Cover the white beans, red beans and chickpeas (in separate bowls or together) with cold water 5 cm above them and leave 8 hours or overnight. Lentils are not soaked — they cook faster.
Ingredients: 100 g dried white beans · 100 g dried red kidney beans · 100 g dried chickpeas · 150 g brown or green lentils · 80 g coarse bulgur wheat · 2500 ml water
Three kinds of pulse, each in its own bowl.Boil the beans
Drain the soaking water, put the beans and chickpeas in a large pot (about 5 litres) and cover with 2 litres of fresh water. Bring to the boil and boil hard for 10 minutes — red kidney beans require this for safety.
Ingredients: 100 g dried white beans · 100 g dried red kidney beans · 100 g dried chickpeas · 150 g brown or green lentils · 80 g coarse bulgur wheat · 2500 ml water
Simmer
Skim the foam, lower the heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes, until the beans and chickpeas are almost tender. If they are still hard, keep going and check every 10 minutes.
Ingredients: 100 g dried white beans · 100 g dried red kidney beans · 100 g dried chickpeas · 150 g brown or green lentils · 80 g coarse bulgur wheat · 2500 ml water
Skim the foam for a cleaner-tasting soup.Add the lentils
Add the lentils and cook another 20 minutes.
Ingredients: 100 g dried white beans · 100 g dried red kidney beans · 100 g dried chickpeas · 150 g brown or green lentils · 80 g coarse bulgur wheat · 2500 ml water
Add the bulgur
Stir in the bulgur and cook 10 minutes, stirring now and then — the soup thickens fast and catches easily from here on.
Ingredients: 100 g dried white beans · 100 g dried red kidney beans · 100 g dried chickpeas · 150 g brown or green lentils · 80 g coarse bulgur wheat · 2500 ml water
Fry the onions
Slice the onions thinly and fry them in the olive oil over medium heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring, until deep brown and sweet. They give the soup its character.
Ingredients: 3 pcs onions · 80 ml olive oil · 2 tsp ground cumin · 2 tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper · 1 pcs lemon
Deep brown, but not burnt.Season the soup
Stir half the onions with half their oil into the soup, along with the cumin, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes more. If it is too thick, add up to 500 ml of boiling water.
Ingredients: 3 pcs onions · 80 ml olive oil · 2 tsp ground cumin · 2 tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper · 1 pcs lemon
Serve
Ladle into bowls, pile the rest of the fried onion on top and drizzle with the remaining oil. Serve with lemon wedges and bread — the lemon is squeezed in at the table.
Ingredients: 3 pcs onions · 80 ml olive oil · 2 tsp ground cumin · 2 tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper · 1 pcs lemon
Before you start
From tins
For a quick version use one tin each of white beans, red beans and chickpeas (about 720 g drained) plus 150 g of lentils, with about 1.2 litres of water. Cooking drops to about 30 minutes, but the soup is less velvety — tinned pulses do not break down and thicken it the way dried ones do.
Red kidney beans
Dried red kidney beans contain phytohaemagglutinin, which breaks down only at a rolling boil. That is why the first 10 minutes are at high heat, not a simmer. Never cook them in a slow cooker alone.
Storage
It keeps 4 days in the fridge and thickens considerably — loosen with water when reheating. It freezes well for 3 months.
