Nourishing Mung Bean Soup (Printable)

Hearty mung beans with warming spices, carrots, celery, and aromatic ginger in a comforting vegan broth.

# What You'll 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

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and toast until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
02 - Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until onion becomes translucent.
03 - Add carrots and celery. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
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. Stir well to combine.
06 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until mung beans are tender.
07 - Remove bay leaf. Add salt and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
08 - Serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes comforting without weighing you down, the kind of soup that actually makes you feel better.
  • Once you understand the rhythm of the spices toasting and blooming, you'll find yourself making it on autopilot when life gets chaotic.
02 -
  • Soaking the mung beans isn't optional if you want them to cook evenly; I learned this the expensive way by throwing out a pot of soup with some hard beans still hiding in there.
  • The spice-toasting step changes everything—it transforms powders into something alive, and I almost always skip it when I'm rushed, only to regret it by the third spoonful.
03 -
  • Always rinse your dried mung beans and soak them for at least 2 hours; this reduces cooking time and ensures they cook evenly without any hard stragglers.
  • If you don't have fresh ginger, don't make this soup—powdered ginger won't give you that bright, living quality that makes this special, so it's worth seeking out the fresh root.
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