Mung Bean Soup (Printer-friendly)

Healing mung beans with warming spices and fresh vegetables

# What You'll 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 teaspoon ground cumin
09 - 1 teaspoon ground coriander
10 - 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 - 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
13 - 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida, optional
14 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

→ Liquids

15 - 6 cups water or vegetable broth

→ Garnishes

16 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
17 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

# How To Make It:

01 - Drain and rinse the soaked mung beans thoroughly under cold water.
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 chopped onion, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in diced carrots, chopped tomato, green chili if using, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and asafoetida. Cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
05 - Add the drained mung beans and pour in the water or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes until the mung beans are tender and the soup thickens.
06 - Add salt and adjust seasoning as needed to achieve desired flavor balance.
07 - Stir in fresh lemon juice and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes like it took hours but honestly takes less than an hour from start to finish.
  • The spices bloom together in a way that feels like alchemy—suddenly you've got depth and warmth from just a teaspoon of this and that.
  • You can make a huge batch and it freezes beautifully, which means future-you gets to feel looked after.
02 -
  • If you skip soaking the beans, your cooking time jumps to over an hour and they won't soften evenly—the soak isn't optional, it's insurance.
  • Mustard seeds are the real MVP here; don't use mustard powder instead because you lose that popping moment and the texture of the soup suffers for it.
  • Taste as you go with the salt—different broths have different sodium levels, and you want to season at the end so you're not over-correcting.
03 -
  • Toast your cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan for two minutes before grinding them yourself—the difference is night and day compared to pre-ground, and it takes almost no extra time.
  • Save a splash of the cooking liquid before you add the salt; sometimes you need it to thin the soup back out after it's been refrigerated and thickened.
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