This is a soup I discovered in a cookbook about 10 years ago when I was searching for delicious foods that would be healing to my system. The combination of flavors remind me of Thai and Indian cooking, blending the spice and heat of fresh ginger and curry with the cooling sweetness of coconut and cilantro, and the tartness of fresh lime juice. I shared it in the communal dinners we held weekly, and it became a staple meal. When I went into labor with my daughter, I made this soup and the rustic blue cornbread. Not many people feel excited to eat or cook when they are in labor but this soup is so nourishing and satisfying. I made this the other night and topped it with our homemade pickled daikon and purple basil ferment. This is a recipe that was originally taken and adjusted from a book called “Gluten-free, Sugar-free Cooking” by Susan O’Brien.
I always try to use split and hulled mung beans for this recipe, but you can use the whole green-shelled mung beans, too. The magic of dicing your veggies is really clear-it’s not the same unless they’re really diced. You may want to use a food processor and dice the carrots, celery and onions in batches.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried mung beans, rinsed
2 cups water (to boil the beans)
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2-3 medium carrots, diced
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger-peeled and minced
1 stalk celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups of stock of your choice
1 cup of full fat coconut milk
Juice of 1 large lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Place the beans in a large soup pot and cover with the 2 cups of water., bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 35-45 minutes, until they are soft.
In a large high-sided skillet, sauté the onion in coconut oil until soft and glassy, about 5 minutes. Add the diced carrot, celery and ginger and continue to cook and stir for about 5 minutes. I sometimes add more coconut oil now if it feels like anything is getting sticky. Add the garlic and tomato and sauté for a few minutes more.
Combine all the spices in a small bowl and add into the veggie sauté. Mix the veggie mixture into the beans and add the stock now. Simmer for about 15 minutes and add the coconut milk, lime juice and fresh cilantro at the end. Serve with pickled radish, yogurt or cornbread(or all three).
Enjoy! Xo
thewildandthetamed 