Sweat into Spring: Spicy Mung Bean Soup Recipe

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Many of you know that I am a huge advocate of soups. Cooking food low and slow has a "pre-digestive" effect that eases the stress on your GI tract, allowing maximum absorption of nutrients and smoother elimination. This spicy mung bean bowl of yum is extra special because it takes only about an hour to make. Bonus: the leftovers taste even better than the first bowl.

Spring has come early this year in Colorado. Since January, we have had warm, dry days with clear skies. This led to an unusual bug that seemed to have caught about half of my clients. In Asian medicine, we call it a "warm-dry invasion;" it's the type of cold you catch during warm and dry weather. Pretty intuitive - right? When the dreaded sniffles, intense thirst, and dry cough finally came for me, I knew it was time to whip out my favorite sinus-clearing soup recipe and get down to business.

Photo credit: Sofia Sharpe

Photo credit: Sofia Sharpe

I love this recipe because it is great throughout the year. A warm and spicy bite can warm a chilly winter's night, but don't think heat in your bowl is reserved for snow days. This soup contains a number of belly-warming spices all of which help to move stagnant qi and warm the energy within digestive tract. Mung beans have a cooling nature which can help to clear out fevers, and are particularly good to eat when you're feeling extra thirsty (think: those hot, summer days). Together, the cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and mung beans create a balanced cleansing and detoxifying effect. Eating this soup during spring is akin to kickstarting internal spring cleaning.

Spicy Mung Bean Soup: The Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (Laura's favorite: safflower oil)
  • 1 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
  • 9 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 14.5oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 Tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup mung beans, picked over and rinsed
  • 1 can coconut cream
  • juice of 1-2 limes

Instructions

  1. Heat the cooking oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the cumin seeds and cook for about 1 minute, until they just begin to darken. Add the garlic, and sauté for 3-4 minutes until it has browned. Watch carefully so as not to let it burn. By now, the kitchen should already smell delicious.
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine, then add ginger, coriander, turmeric, salt, and cayenne.
  4. Sauté this mixture for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  5. Add the mung beans, give them a stir, then add the water. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for at 40 minutes, stirring the mixture once or twice.
  6. Taste a few mung beans to make sure they are cooked. If they are, stir in the coconut cream, and increase the heat to medium-high.
  7. Once the soup comes to the boil, turn off the heat. Stir in the juice of one lime. Taste and decide whether you'd like to add the second lime as well.
  8. Serve hot.

Laura's Thoughts

I love to use fire-crushed tomatoes to enhance the earthy flavors. Freeze your ginger root for easy grating. It lasts longer and grates like a hard cheese - so easy. Cilantro can be added to bring a little fresh love into the soup. When adding the lime in Step 7, stir in chopped cilantro to taste. At lower altitudes, the mung beans may be done in 30 minutes. If you're cooking at altitude, I recommend setting aside 40-50 minutes for bean cooktime.

Recipe adapted from The Muffin Myth.