Mung Bean Soup with Warming Spices (Print)

Wholesome mung beans cooked with warming spices and vegetables for a comforting, immunity-boosting bowl.

# What You Need:

→ Legumes

01 - 1 cup dried mung beans, rinsed and soaked for 2 hours

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
05 - 2 medium carrots, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 1 medium tomato, chopped

→ Spices

08 - 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
09 - 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
13 - 1 bay leaf

→ Liquids

14 - 6 cups vegetable broth or water

→ Seasoning & Garnish

15 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
16 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
17 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

# Directions:

01 - Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and toast until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
02 - Add onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until onion becomes translucent.
03 - Add carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes additional.
04 - Stir in turmeric, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon if using, and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute.
05 - Add soaked mung beans, chopped tomato, and vegetable broth or water to the pot. Stir well to combine.
06 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes until mung beans are soft.
07 - Remove bay leaf. Add salt and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
08 - Serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort without any of the heaviness that often comes with soup.
  • Your kitchen will smell like a spice market, and somehow your whole body will feel better afterward.
  • You can make a huge batch and it gets better the next day, which feels like a small miracle.
02 -
  • Soaking your mung beans for 2 hours isn't just a suggestion; it cuts the cooking time significantly and makes them digest more easily, which is kind of the entire point of this soup.
  • Don't skip toasting the cumin seeds dry; this one small step is what separates a good mung bean soup from one that tastes like you rushed through the process.
  • The lemon juice at the end is not optional if you want the soup to taste bright and alive rather than flat and one-dimensional.
03 -
  • If you forget to soak your mung beans ahead of time, they'll still cook in about 50 to 60 minutes, so don't let that stop you from making this soup on a day when you suddenly want it.
  • Taste the soup often as it cooks; mung beans vary in age and dryness, so cooking time can shift, and you'll want to catch them at that perfect moment when they're soft but not falling apart.
  • A good quality vegetable broth makes a noticeable difference compared to water or low-quality broth, so this is a place where spending a little extra matters.
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