A happy accident last week. I ordered mung beans from Hummingbird Wholesale in Eugene, OR, but didn’t specify “whole”. I received split mung beans. I didn’t even know split mung beans existed. Well, they do. And they’re delicious.
Split mung beans are mung beans that have been stripped of their hull and then cleaned and split. They are small, yellow, and are quick cooking like split yellow or split green peas (though I still soak them to make them fully digestible).
After browsing the web and finding inspirational recipes (such as Punjabi Dhal and Southwestern Yellow Split Pea Soup), here’s how I made our delicious Split Mung Bean Soup. We ate it with sprouted spelt bread.
Makes 16 cups – 10 servings (1-1/2 cups per serving)
- 2-1/2 cups split mung beans
- 8 cups clean water, plus an additional 8 cups clean water
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger
- 3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (or butter or ghee)
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, diced or sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 3 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
Soak the beans in 8 cups of water overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse.
In a 6 to 8 quart stockpot, put the beans and 8 cups of fresh water. Move the pot to the stovetop. Add turmeric, cumin and ginger and bring to a simmer. When it first comes to a boil, it can foam up quite high and quite quickly, so be prepared to stir down the foam and turn down the heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, put coconut oil, garlic and onion in a skillet and saute until soft. Add to soup after it has simmered for 15 to 20 minutes.
After 30 to 40 minutes, the soup should be thick, and the individual beans will be falling apart. Add the diced tomatoes and salt to taste. Let the tomatoes simmer in the soup for about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings as you prefer.
Serve and enjoy!
© Copyright 2008-2009 by Wardeh Harmon.
Looks really good on a cold day like today!
Wow – I didn’t know split mung beans existed either. The soup looks delicious! Your snow impressive. Your pipe thawing incredible. Your new bed -glorious! What a week.
Oh, Mary, you’re so funny! How’s your Kombucha doing?
hi wardeh!
that is so funny because i cooked my split mungs in a VERY similar way! mine was a recipe from my indian cookbook and was supposed to be more dhal-like than soup, but i made the mistake of soaking them (i think the recipe meant me to use whole means) and so they didnt absorb much cooking water and it looked just like your photo. everyone really liked it, so i may need to buy some more!
Hey, that’s cool that we were practically enjoying the same soup! I have plenty of the beans if you want more.
I’ll be in town on the 7th, should we meet up then? Have a Merry Christmas! Love, Wardeh
My kombucha is alive and well. I keep 4 gallons going on rotation. I am sharing scoby, too, just like you shared with me! I was in the checkout line with an older lady in a store who was buying Kombucha in a bottle. I always talk with people because I’m overly friendly, probably annoying. I said “you like kombucha” and she said she did and she was hoping to grow her own from the little bottle she was buying. That she used to make her own. I said “I make my own.” She said “Would you share some scoby with me?” I said I’d be happy too and she wrote down her name and phone number so we could meet. I put it in my wallet without looking at it. She then asked me my name. She said “I know you! My grandchildren played soccer with your children! You are friends with my daughter Mary Margaret, my son Mike and my son Joe!” I took a closer look at her and remembered her too! What a small world. The employees at the health food store got a huge kick out of the conversation.
That is kind of similiar to the way I make split moong daal. Boil it with turmeric and salt and tomato (half of one). Then in a little bit of oil I fry some mustard or cumin seeds, onion and sometimes garlic or ginger and half a tomato. I then add this “baghaar” to the lentils (daal).
I use whole moong to make sprouts or daal. For the latter, cook them in a pressure cooker as above. For the baghaar, I fry some mustard seeds, onion and ginger and then add it to the lentils (daal). I cannot get my older son to eat sprouts, though!
Sangeeta, how long do you cook in the pressure cooker? I don’t have one but am curious for if I ever do (I would like to). Those fried mustard seeds would be delicious! Thank you for sharing your heritage recipe. {{hugs}}
Mary, you’re such a dear! I can just picture you in line — striking up the conversation and ending up finding out that you knew her! God bless you for your kindness. I am very, very blessed to know that the scoby (given to me from a friend) is spreading health and happiness far and wide. {{hugs}} P.S. I doubt you’re annoying.
Love, Wardeh
Is there a reason you saute the onion and garlic separately from the soup? I am assuming it is to be time-efficient. I was just wondering if I could saute the onion and garlic in the stock pot, and then add the water and beans. Just trying to make sense of this in my mind. Your recipes work for me!
Thanks for the beans. I can’t wait to try this.
Kelli – If you cooked them along with the beans, they’d be mush after all that time. Adding them nearer the end preserves a bit of texture. Also, the sauteeing gives them a better, stronger flavor. But it is up to you- there’s not a right and wrong. Enjoy the soup! I think you’ll all like it.
My family loved this split mung bean soup. It was perfect for a winter day. The heat from the tumeric, cumin, and ginger lingered.
I added some leftover ham from Christmas.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Nurturing Wisdom – I’m happy you enjoyed it! I bet it was yummy with ham!