INGREDIENTS, (5 servings)
1/2 cup of Chickpeas
1/2 cup of Pinto Beans
1/2 cup of Wheat grains
1/4 cup of Lentils
1/4 cup of Rice
1/4 cup of Burghul, (cracked wheat)
1 Large Potato head, cut in small pieces
3 large Onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup of Olive Oil, for frying
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
PREPARATION
Soaking the beans is the first and most important step for cooking Makhlouta
Before a night, soak each kind of the grains in a separate bowl, make sure to contain enough water as the grains will grow to triple from their main size after soaking. On the next day, empty the water and rinse the beans.
Make ready to cook, first fill a deep cooking pot with at least 12 cups of water, then add the wheat, let it boil, and move to a lower heat for 20 minutes.
Then add the chickpeas and let it cook with the wheat for another 20 minutes.
Now add the pinto beans to the wheat and chickpeas, let it cook for another 20 minutes.
The main purpose we add the beans gradually since the wheat needs the longest time to get cooked, followed by chickpeas and then the pinto beans. (The 20 minutes I suggest may vary if the beans are new or old. Also, it depends on the stove heat. The beans are done when you can smash it with your finger to find how soft it became).
Soak the rice and burghul just for 10 minutes before adding to the beans. Cut the potato head into small pieces. Rinse the lentils.
Currently, prepare a frying pan with adding 5 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the onions until golden brown.
After the pinto beans have boiled for 20 minutes, add the rice, lentils, burghul, potatoes, salt, cumin and the fried onions dumped with their oil into the cooking pot, mix well and let simmer for another 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving, until all the flavors are combined.
Serve hot with toasted or fried bread.
TIPS
If the water level decreases while cooking, (absorbed by grains), you can always add more water in the cooking pot.
Cooking time may vary, as mentioned above, the purpose is that the beans might not be new, and this will make the cooking time longer, around half an hour.
The cooking of beans turns to be done when the grains become soft enough
You can store the leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days, and when reheating, add a little water as needed.
