Protein-Packed Mung Bean Soup with Coconut Milk

5 from 1 vote

Protein-Packed Mung Bean Soup with Coconut Milk

Creamy, protein-packed Mung Bean soup with Coconut Milk, veggies and spices. Yin-nourishing, gut friendly, and perfectly balanced comfort in a bowl.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Filipino

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Servings: bowls

Calories: 337kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

1 soup pot large (we used our 6 quart Dutch oven)

Ingredients

1 cup mung beans whole dried (soaked for 2 hours in boiled water)
1 tablespoon oil avocado oil or light flavored oil
2 teaspoons fennel seeds lightly crushed with mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon cumin dried ground
1 knob ginger fresh, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 medium onion peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 medium sweet potato peeled and diced
8 cups bone broth or chicken or veggie broth
1.5 cups tomatoes fresh chopped or canned, crushed
2 whole bay leaves
2 cups spinach fresh or quick cooking green leafy veggies of choice
14 ounces coconut milk full fat (optional but it adds so much creamy flavor)

Optional Toppings

tofu croutons recipe in the notes below
black sesame seeds
fresh herbs cilantro or parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare Mung Beans

Rinse whole died mung beans in a colander and rinse. Discard any broken or discolored beans and pitch. Bring 3 to 4 cups of water to a boil. Place the whole dried mung beans into a heat safe bowl and pour the boiled water over the mung beans. Cover lightly and let them soak at room temperature for about 2 hours or until they have a little give when you press on a bean. Rinse and drain.

Cooking the Mung Bean Soup

Add light flavored oil into a large soup pot. Sauté fennel, cumin, ginger and garlic until aromatic over medium heat.
Next, add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and sweet potatoes with the aromatics. Stir to incorporate the spices with the veggies.
Add the soaked and rinsed mung beans in with the vegetable in the soup pot.
Pour in the bone broth (chicken or vegetable broth). Add in the tomatoes and bay leaves and stir. Cover and increase the temperature to a high heat until the soup starts to boil. Reduce the soup down to a medium high heat for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the mung beans are easily mashed and start to breakdown. Stir occasionally. If the soup becomes to thick, you can add more bone broth or water to thin out.
Stir in fresh spinach and coconut milk, letting it heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tofu croutons, black sesame seeds or fresh herbs as desired.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips

Soaking the mung beans in boiling hot water for 2 hours or overnight with cool water will help the beans cook faster. In addition, it makes the mung beans easier to digest.
If you don't have time to soak the mung beans, you can still make the soup, but it may take longer to cook.
Choose good quality coconut milk and vigorously shake the can or heat it up BEFORE adding it to the soup so it does not curdle. Coconut milk without added emulsifiers is prone to a natural separation of the coconut fat from the soup liquid because of the difference in temperature. Don’t sweat it if this happens to you. It does not affect the flavor. If you wish you can blend the soup and the problem will be resolved.
Add more bone broth or water during the cooking process as the soup cooks it will thicken.
Do not season the mung bean soup with salt until AFTER it is done cooking or it can make the mung beans tough.

Storage and Reheating

Storage Instructions: Cooked Mung bean soup with or without coconut milk can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 months in a freezer safe container.

Reheating Instructions:

Stovetop - Pour the soup in a soup pot and heat over medium high heat until warm and bubbly. As the soup thickens as it sits, you may wish to add more bone broth (chicken or veggie broth) or even a little water to thin to your desired consistency. Season to taste.

Microwave - Ladle the soup into a microwave safe dish. Cover to prevent splattering. Cook on high in 30 second increments, stirring along the way until hot throughout.

Crispy Tofu Crouton Topping (Optional - Air Fried)

Ingredients

16 ounces firm tofu (pressed and dried well) and chopped into ½ inch cubes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

Preheat air fryer at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for 5 mins
Toss the prepared tofu cubes with garlic powder, salt and pepper, black sesame seeds and cornstarch.
Lay out in a single layer in the air fryer basket. (If you have a small air fryer- you will need to do this in batches.)
Air fry tofu croutons at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and crispy. Shake the air fryer basket halfway through the cooking process.
Enjoy the crispy tofu croutons over the creamy mung bean soup.

Nutrition