Beans with Plum Sauce(Lobio Tkemali)

Welcome to Georgian cuisine, where beans get the kind of treatment most people reserve for fancy salads.

Lobio tkemali is a classic from the Republic of Georgia that combines humble kidney beans with tkemali, the country’s beloved sour plum sauce. Here, plum jam steps in as an easy substitute, mixed with red wine vinegar to capture that signature tart-sweet balance.

The beans get cooked with garlic, red pepper flakes, and a bay leaf, then dressed while still warm so they absorb every drop of that fruity, tangy, garlicky sauce.

Fresh cilantro and black pepper finish it off. Serve at room temperature as a side, a mezze, or a snack with crusty bread.

Kitchen Tips

• Dress the beans while they’re still warm. Warm beans act like sponges and soak up the vinegar and plum jam much more effectively than cold ones.
• Split the garlic duties: one clove cooks with the beans for mellow flavor, and one goes in raw at the end for a sharp, fresh bite.
• If you can find actual tkemali sauce (sour plum sauce) at a specialty or Eastern European grocery, use it in place of the plum jam and reduce the vinegar slightly.

Variations

• Use dried sour plums or tamarind paste mixed with a little sugar as a substitute for the plum jam.
• Add chopped walnuts on top for a more traditional Georgian presentation.
• Swap kidney beans for cranberry beans or pinto beans for a slightly different texture.