Home-Cooked Lupini Beans for Sham El-Nessim
Lupini beans soak overnight, boil for an hour and a half, then sit in salted water changed twice a day for three to five days until the bitterness is gone entirely. The bitterness comes from natural alkaloids, and repeatedly changed water is the only way to remove it.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 110 min
- Calories
- 140
Lupini on the Sham El-Nessim table is the cheapest and healthiest thing on it — high in plant protein and low in calories. The only problem is that it takes patience: the soaking is not a step to rush, and lupini that are still bitter are not edible.
Method
-
1
First soak
Wash and rinse the lupini, then soak them in plenty of water overnight (12 hours). They roughly double in size.
⏱ 15 min -
2
Boil
Drain and boil in fresh water for an hour and a half over medium heat until tender — they should yield easily when pressed.
⏱ 90 min -
3
The long soak
Drain and put them in a large container of salted water that covers them, in the fridge. Change the water twice a day — morning and evening.
⏱ 5 min -
4
The test
After three days, taste one. If any bitterness remains, keep going for another day or two. Ready lupini taste neutral and slightly salty.
-
5
Serve
Drain and keep them in clean salted water, and serve with lemon juice, cumin and a little olive oil.
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Tips that actually matter
- Don't rush the soaking. Bitter lupini don't just taste bad — the compound causing the bitterness isn't good for you in quantity.
- Change the water at fixed times so you don't forget — morning and before bed.
- In hot weather the soaking must happen in the fridge so they don't ferment.
- They keep a week in the fridge in salted water; change the water every two days.
People also ask
Why are lupini bitter?
Natural alkaloids in the bean. They dissolve in water, so repeatedly changing the water is the only way to remove them — there's no shortcut.
How long exactly do they soak?
Three to five days depending on the variety and the size of the bean. Tasting is the only reliable test.
Are lupini healthy?
Among the highest-protein pulses — 12g per 100g — low in calories, high in fibre, and with a low glycaemic index that suits people managing blood sugar.
Cook mode
Home-Cooked Lupini Beans for Sham El-Nessim
-
1
First soak
Wash and rinse the lupini, then soak them in plenty of water overnight (12 hours). They roughly double in size.
-
2
Boil
Drain and boil in fresh water for an hour and a half over medium heat until tender — they should yield easily when pressed.
-
3
The long soak
Drain and put them in a large container of salted water that covers them, in the fridge. Change the water twice a day — morning and evening.
-
4
The test
After three days, taste one. If any bitterness remains, keep going for another day or two. Ready lupini taste neutral and slightly salty.
-
5
Serve
Drain and keep them in clean salted water, and serve with lemon juice, cumin and a little olive oil.
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