Step 1

The night before, dissolve 15 grams of salt per 1 litre of cold water in a large bowl or container.

Step 2

Rinse beans in a colander and transfer to prepared brine. Soak beans for at least eight and up to 24 hours.

Step 3

Drain and rinse beans and transfer to a large saucepan. Cover with about 5 centimetres of cold water seasoned with 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are tender, about 1-1.5 hours.

Step 4

Drain beans, reserving about 500 millilitres of cooking liquid. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Step 5

In a separate bowl, combine walnuts, garlic, fenugreek, coriander, savory, cayenne pepper and 2/3 of the cilantro and mix until the walnuts are moist.

Step 6

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until shimmering, add onions and saute until translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add walnut mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tkemali or pomegranate juice (or lemon juice), stir to combine.

Step 7

Add cooked beans to pot along with about 150 millilitres of the reserved cooking liquid. Using a potato masher, mash beans until only about 1/4 of them are whole, adding more cooking liquid as necessary to loosen the consistency - it should be the consistency of a thick stew, not too soupy.

Step 8

Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes while flavours meld, add remaining cilantro, and serve immediately.