Mung Bean Soup (Printable)

Nourishing soup with mung beans, aromatic vegetables, and warming Indian spices.

# What You Need:

→ Legumes

01 - 1 cup dried mung beans, rinsed and soaked for 4 hours or overnight

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
05 - 1 medium carrot, diced
06 - 1 medium tomato, chopped
07 - 1 small green chili, finely chopped (optional)

→ Spices & Seasonings

08 - 1 tsp ground cumin
09 - 1 tsp ground coriander
10 - 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
11 - 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
12 - 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
13 - 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing), optional
14 - 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

→ Liquids

15 - 6 cups water or vegetable broth

→ Garnishes

16 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
17 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

# How-To:

01 - Drain and rinse the soaked mung beans thoroughly.
02 - In a large pot, heat a splash of oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant.
03 - Add onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in carrots, tomato, green chili (if using), cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and asafoetida. Cook for 2 minutes to bloom the spices.
05 - Add mung beans and pour in the water or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 35–40 minutes, or until the mung beans are completely soft and the soup has thickened.
06 - Add salt and adjust seasoning according to preference.
07 - Stir in lemon juice and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Its the kind of soup that somehow makes everything feel like its going to be okay
  • The way the spices bloom in hot oil creates this incredible aromatic base that you cant get from just tossing everything in together
02 -
  • I once forgot to soak the beans and added 20 minutes to the cooking time, but they still never got quite as creamy
  • Letting the mustard seeds pop in hot oil before adding anything else is the step that makes this taste authentic rather than just spiced
03 -
  • Use homemade vegetable broth if you can, it really elevates the final flavor
  • Let the soup rest for 5 minutes off the heat before serving, this allows the flavors to settle
Go back