ლობიოს სუპი ცისფერი ფერულათი — Bean Soup with Blue Fenugreek and Coriander

Georgian Fast Without Oil Published June 11, 2026

This is a Georgian bean soup built for a strict fast day, cooked entirely without oil and leaning on walnuts, herbs, and the deep musk of blue fenugreek for body and richness. Kidney beans simmer until creamy, half of them mashed to thicken the broth, then the pot is layered with garlic, ground coriander, marigold, and a handful of pounded walnuts that melt in and turn the whole thing silky. Sour with vinegar, green with cilantro, and warming with red pepper, it is the kind of soup that fills you completely and reminds you that fasting food was never meant to be meager.

Made with no oil, this belongs to strict Wednesday and Friday fasts. There is nothing to subtract — the walnuts do the work oil might otherwise do. On oil days you may finish each bowl with a thread of olive oil if you like, but the soup needs no help.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast Without Oil (naturally oil-free)
SERVINGS: 5
TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes (plus bean soaking)

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups (380g) dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup (50g) walnut halves
- 2 teaspoons ground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli)
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander, plus 1/2 cup fresh chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried marigold (Imeretian saffron)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or Georgian red pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1.5 litres water

METHOD

1. Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pot with the water, bay leaves, and half the chopped onion. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered until the beans are completely tender, 55-65 minutes.

2. In a dry pan over medium heat, sweat the remaining onion with a few spoonfuls of broth from the bean pot until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic, blue fenugreek, ground coriander, marigold, and cayenne and stir 1 minute until fragrant. Scrape this into the soup.

3. Grind the walnuts to a paste with a little water or broth and stir into the pot. Using a potato masher, mash about half the beans directly in the pot to thicken the soup to a creamy consistency.

4. Simmer another 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. Season with salt and the vinegar, tasting until it is bright and sour.

5. Remove the bay leaves, stir in most of the fresh cilantro, and ladle into bowls. Finish each with the remaining cilantro. Serve with bread.

NOTES

- No-oil to oil days: the soup is complete as written; on oil days a drizzle of olive oil on top is a fine indulgence.
- Canned beans (3 cans) cut the cooking time to about 25 minutes — simmer them with the onion and bay before proceeding.
- For more protein and heartiness, add a cup of soaked, cooked lentils or a handful of chopped walnuts at the end.
- The soup thickens as it cools into almost a stew; loosen with water when reheating.