The gospel of mung bean soup

Mung bean soup

Originally uploaded by Bnita-Denise.

I bet you are thinking, “what bean soup?!”, but I am completely enamoured with this soup right now and I am trying to create converts where ever I go. If you like Indian food, with rich, aromatic spices and deep, complex flavors, you will love this soup. Not only does it taste good, but it feels incredibly nourishing and fulfilling. Trust me, you will become a convert just as I have.

Green Mungbean Soup Recipe
from http://www.ayushakti.com/recipe.htm#1

Ingredients:
1 cup green mung beans – soaked overnight
2 cup water + 1 tsp. salt- to cook beans in pressure cooker
2 cup water – to achieve the soup
1 tbs. sunflower oil
½ tsp. mustard seeds
¼ tsp. Hing (known as Asefoetida in the West)
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. mixed Cumin and Coriander Powder
1½ tsp. ginger – chopped
½ tsp. garlic – chopped
2 tsp. salt
1½ tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. raw sugar cane
1 pinch garam masala powder (see recipe for this spice mixture below)

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Soak the mung beans overnight in water.
2. Clean and finely grind ginger and garlic
3. Drain the mung beans, wash them two times and cook in a pressure cooker with the indicated amount of water until tender. It takes around 25 minutes, according to your pressure cooker. The beans should be broken.
4. Heat the oil in large deep saucepan and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds pop, add hing and bay leaf. Mix well.
5. Place the cooked beans – including the cooked water plus fresh water – into the saucepan.
6. Bring to a boil and add all remaining spices. Simmer the mung beans for a few minutes more.

Denise’s notes:
I usually add vegetables to the soup. Some ideas are: cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, onion, tomato, carrot, zucchini…you get the picture . I add these to the spice mixture, saute them up, and then add all of it to the soup.

Preparation Time: 45 minutes.