Indian Sprouted Mung Bean Stew with Greens

There was a time when I would get curried out. Too much curry. I couldn’t keep up with Rob.

Now, curry has become a staple for both of us. Except I don’t think you can tell by what I share here. Be it resolved to share more of our Indian eats. They have converted me.

In my mind, there are authentic Indian foods and Indian-inspired foods or Indian-spiced foods. The latter referring to when you spice things up with curry powder. While I have thrown curry powder into Indian curries, bean and quinoa skillets, and couscous pilaf, I have also added it to tofu chowders, sweet potato hummus, balsamic roasted veggies, kabocha squash flatbread, curried-mustard dressing,  raw pineapple rice and more recently tofu scramble. The trick is not to make everything taste like “curry powder”, if you know what I mean. This can mean using different types of curry powder (picking one you like is most important; I am partial to Penzey’s sweet blend), adding other spices, using different vegetables or cooking methods to shake things up.

I was drawn to this Indian mung bean stew for its simplicity but I knew it would not be lackluster. Instead of the typical red lentil curries I adore, this is a brothy soup.

A flavourful broth is created from fennel, cumin and ginger. Indian cooking doesn’t always have to be thick curries. Carrots and collards add colour and mung beans make this filling. Lemon juice brightens it up. The curry powder is added as a finishing spice, at the end of cooking, for a different twist to the soup. Pick a curry powder you like because a little goes a long way to flavour the stew. Fennel and cumin will enhance the curry powder, too. As a note, I used sprouted mung beans because that is what I had on hand, but whole bung beans would be equally as good as would any other small bean, like adzuki, too. My only suggestion is to cut up your carrot smaller than I did, mimicking the size of the beans, for better mouth-feel.

Are you a curry powder fan or a curry fan? Or both? 🙂

This is my submission to Deb for this week’s Souper Sundays.

Indian Sprouted Mung Bean Stew with Greens
Adapted from The Ayurvedic Vegan Kitchen

1 cup dry mung beans (I used sprouted mung beans), rinsed
1.5 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 tbsp minced ginger
2 green onions, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped small (I would chop them up more similar in size to the mung beans than I actually did)
4 cups water
salt, to taste
5-6 large collard leaves (or kale, or Swiss chard), thinly sliced and chopped into 1″ lengths (100g prepped)
2 tsp curry powder (I used Penzey’s sweet blend)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste (half a lemon)

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt coconut oil. Add the fennel, cumin and ginger and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add green onions and carrots and sprinkle with salt. Cook for a further 5 minutes, until the carrots are slightly caramelized. Add the mung beans, water, and salt to taste. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, until the carrots and beans are cooked through.

2. Add in the collards and cover. Remove from heat and allow the greens to wilt slightly, around 3 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and lemon juice. Season to taste.

Serves 4.