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    Home » Recipes » Mains

    Quick Lobia Masala (White Beans with Tomatoes)

    November 13, 2022 by pakistaneats 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This bright and spicy lobia masala is a satisfying and healthy main that comes together in 30 minutes.

    Lobia masala in a bowl
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • What to Serve It With
    • Lobia Masala Recipe

    In 2019, Saptarshi and I made a conscious effort to eat less meat. While initially it was a challenge given that we had meat as a main for every meal, it becomes easier every month (see vegetarian recipes here). I have especially grown to rely on legumes as a staple (thank you dal!), and developed a special affection for white beans. But I had never really seen white beans incorporated in Pakistani recipes until I found a lobia masala recipe in the Salt’n Pepper Village Cookbook. Being the food nerd that I am, I got excited and immediately got round to testing and tweaking the recipe for the blog.

    This lobia masala is an incredibly easy recipe that is perfect for busy (or lazy) weeknights. I find white beans to be quite beautiful and flavorful in their own right and wanted to avoid over-cooking or over-spicing them. So in this recipe adaptation, I pared down the spices significantly to give them some breathing room. I used canned cannellini beans in this recipe but you can use any variety. I LOVE having them with toast but you can also enjoy them with naan or roti/chapati.

    white beans in a pot

    Ingredients

    • Neutral oil: Any variety of neutral oil, such as avocado, canola or vegetable oil works well.
    • Yellow or red onion: Both varieties work. Just remember that the weight of the onion is roughly the same as tomatoes.
    • Crushed ginger
    • Crushed garlic
    • Roma tomatoes: We typically use roma tomatoes in Pakistani cooking but vine tomatoes are a good substitute.
    • Salt: I use regular table salt. Remember to adjust depending on the variety of salt you are using and your personal taste!
    • Red chili flakes: I wanted more bite and less color so I opted for red chili flakes here. You can swap it with cayenne red pepper or Kashmiri red chili powder.
    • Coriander powder: This ground spice infuses the dish with lovely earthy and citrusy notes.
    • White beans: I used canned cannellini beans but any variety works here.
    • Juice of one lemon (optional): I love finishing this dish with some lemon juice.
    • Cilantro (optional)
    Lobia masala with cilantro garnish

    What to Serve It With

    • Baked chicken drumsticks
    • Fried fish
    • Toast or roti!
    lobia-masala-landscape

    Lobia Masala Recipe

    This Pakistani style lobia masala (white beans with an onion-tomato base) is an easy vegetarian meal that is perfect for busy weeknights.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Indian, Pakistani Cuisine
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 421 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoon neutral oil
    • ½ teaspoon crushed ginger
    • ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
    • 1 small yellow or red onion thinly sliced in half rings
    • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
    • 2 roma tomatoes roughly chopped
    • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
    • 1 15-ounce can of white beans
    • Juice of ½ lemon
    • 2 tablespoon diced cilantro

    Instructions
     

    • Heat oil in saucepan. Add chopped onion and fry on medium-low heat until evenly brown, about 10 minutes.
    • Add crushed ginger and garlic and fry for roughly one minute or until fragrant.
    • Add coriander powder and fry for another minute until fragrant.
    • Increase heat to high, and add chopped tomatoes, salt and red chili flakes. Fry until soft, about 7 - 10 minutes.
    • Add white beans and stir well. Bring down heat to medium, and let the beans simmer in the masala for another 5 minutes.
    • Remove from heat and place in serving bowl. Top with lemon juice and diced cilantro for garnish.

    Notes

    I personally love these beans with toast but they are also great with chapati/roti. 
    Keyword legumes, Vegan
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    More Mains

    • 40-Minute Pakistani Style Hariyali Chicken
    • Kali Mirch Chicken (Black Pepper Chicken)
    • Spicy Aloo Sabzi (Potato Curry)
    • Bilquees's Gobi Gosht (Mutton with Cauliflower)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. yameen

      February 28, 2020 at 6:10 am

      5 stars
      hi mam
      it's my favorite one good work keep it up.thanks

      Reply
    2. Ghulam Mohyudin

      May 06, 2020 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post. https://www.gmdrecipes.com/

      Reply
    3. Jeff

      February 02, 2021 at 8:58 pm

      How do I crush the ginger and garlic or do I buy it crushed?

      Reply
      • pakistaneats

        February 03, 2021 at 11:20 am

        Hi! You can buy them. I either use a food processor to crush them in public or if using a smaller quantity, just peel and pound them using a mortar and pestle.

        Reply
    4. Ballal

      April 22, 2022 at 1:03 am

      5 stars
      This sounds like comfort food heaven!
      Going on my increasingly long list of your recipes to try.
      Came across it whilst searching for a recipe to use greens (spinach, chard, kale). My favourite veg, and also ones I have a massive glut of in the kitchen garden!
      Would love to see how you tackle them!

      Reply
    5. Amir Nasrullah

      December 02, 2022 at 2:38 am

      5 stars
      Amazing Pakistani food recipe .I like so much.
      Keep posting these sort of recepies.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Kali Mirch Chicken Karahi (Black Pepper Chicken) - Pakistan Eats says:
      May 3, 2020 at 9:41 am

      […] that I have enjoyed cooking from this past year (other recipes I have adapted from the book are lobia masala and beef […]

      Reply
    2. Quick Lobia Masala (White Beans with Tomatoes) - Every Info says:
      December 11, 2022 at 7:07 am

      […] November 13, 2022 by pakistaneats 7 Comments […]

      Reply

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    About Me

    Hi! I'm Maryam, an international educator and food writer, excited about bringing you traditional Pakistani recipes from across the country. Learn more.

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