Makhlouta - Lebanese Whole-Grain Stew
This amazing Lebanese recipe is easy to make in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. It’s naturally vegan and can also be made gluten-free. It’s pantry cooking at its finest, just use whatever grains you have. And most importantly, it is crazy good!
Equipment
- Instant pot, pressure cooker
- Large frying pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried chickpeas
- ½ cup dried beans
- ½ cup wheat berries
- ¼ cup dried brown lentils
- ¼ cup short-grain rice
- ¼ cup bulgar (cracked wheat)
- 1 large potato cut into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ cup olive oil (see notes) & 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 lbs onions,(6 onions) chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 lbs onion (3 onions) sliced
Instructions
- Highly Recommended Step: soak chickpeas, beans & wheat berries overnight in a bowl of water. Not a necessary step, the soup works fine without pre-soaking – but the pre-soaking reduces some of the bitter aftertastes of the grains many give to the soup.
- Rinse the chickpeas, beans & wheat berries in cold water. Add to your instant pot and fill with water to cover the beans by two inches. Close the lid on the Instant Pot. Use the multi-grain setting and time it for 20 minutes. Once the time has finished, allow for a 7-10 minute slow release.
- While you wait for your beans to be done, start soaking the bulgar, rice and lentils in cold water.
- Saute the onions for stew: In a large frying pan heat the ¼ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add all of the chopped onions ⏤ fry until dark brown and soft. Once the onions are finished add the cumin & salt.
- Finished beans: release the pressure from the Instant Pot. Open lid. Drain the lentils, rice, & bulgar. Then add them to the bean mixture along with the potato. Stir. Add salt. (you may need more water. The water should cover the grains by 2 inches.)
- Reset the Instant Pot back onto the multi-grain setting and cook for 10 minutes. Once cooking time is finished allow for a 7-10 minute slow release.
- Finish the soup. Once the grain base is finished, open the lid of the Instant Pot. Add all the onions and olive oil to the bean soup. Adjust water & salt. (The soup should not be runny or too dry, it should be somewhere in-between). Allow the soup to sit for 10 minutes to cool and for the flavours to set.
- While the soup is cooling. Use the frying pan you used for the chopped onions. Reheat over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and all the sliced onions ⏤fry until dark brown and crispy. Stir often.
- Serve. Ladle some soup into a bowl and top with some fried onions. Enjoy.
Notes
- Use the highest quality olive oil you can find. The oil makes or breaks this dish.
- Freezer friendly – keep 1-2 months in the freezer.
- Speedy kitchen prep tip: use a food processor to chop & slice the onions. This is a rustic dish, so there's no need for perfection.
- For the stovetop method, use the same steps just cook longer.
- You can use any kind of bean you would like. They're all great for this recipe.