Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Mung Bean Soup is a gluten-free, vegan Indian main made with simple everyday ingredients in about 40 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mung beans (/ green gram/ green moong)
  • 1 tablespoon oil or ghee or butter
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger ((½ inch peeled & grated))
  • 1 tablespoon garlic sliced ((about 3 to 4 cloves))
  • ½ cup (1 medium) tomato - diced
  • 1 large carrot diced
  • 1 cup pumpkin (cut to 1 inch (or use green beans, sweet potatoes or potatoes))
  • 4 cups baby spinach ((chopped or use any other baby leafy greens))
  • 2 tablespoons sambar powder (or curry powder)
  • 4 cups water or stock ((more if you want + optional ½ cup coconut milk))
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon ghee or butter (optional)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

How to make Mung Bean Soup

  1. Add mung beans to a strainer and rinse well under running, rubbing with your fingers. Add them to a bowl and soak overnight or for a minimum of 5 hours in boiling hot water. Later drain & rinse.
  2. Heat half of the oil or ghee in a pot. Add ginger and garlic. Saute for 1 to 2 mins until aromatic.
  3. Add tomatoes and vegetables. Saute for 2 to 3 mins and stir in the sambar/curry powder and salt.
  4. Add the mung beans and pour water/stock. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce to medium. Cook partially covered until the mung beans are tender & begin to break down. Takes me 18 to 20 mins.
  5. Mash ¼ cup of the beans with a masher or with the back of the spoon. Or blend with ½ to ¾ cup water/ stock or coconut milk & stir back to the pot.
  6. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more liquid (or hot water) if you want. Bring to a gentl boil and turn off. Taste test to adjust salt and optionally add black pepper or chili flakes for more heat.
  7. Heat rest of the oil/ghee or butter and add the leafy greens. Saute until wilted and transfer to the mung bean soup. Stir well.
  8. Squeeze lemon juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves/cilantro if you want.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.