Recipe taken from The Adventurous Vegetarian: Around the World in 30 Meals (£20) by Jane Hughes. Buy the book here. Reproduced with the kind permission of Jane Hughes and New Internationalist.
Red Bean Pkhali
Recipe Type: Vegan
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Serves: 4 – 6
Pkhali (or mkhali) takes many forms – it might be a dip, a spread or any kind of vegetable purée. The hallmark is always the combination of ground walnuts, garlic and herbs. Pkhalis originated in Georgia but variants are enjoyed across the former Soviet Union. Presenting the mixture rolled into little balls means you can eat them whole, as part of a buffet, or crush them on to some bread as a light lunch. I love them with the warm, salty cheesebread that follows.
Ingredients
- 1 cup/450 g canned aduki beans
- 1 cup/100 g walnut pieces
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 stick of celery
- a handful of fresh, finely chopped coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- a handful of fresh pomegranate kernels
Instructions
- Chop the walnuts, celery and garlic finely.
- Drain and rinse the beans.
- Mash the beans with the walnuts, garlic, celery, coriander and spices.
- Roll the mixture into bite-sized balls, top each with a pomegranate kernel and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
