Mung beans are among my favorite legumes. They belong to the family of beans and lentils. And I discovered that mung-beans do very well in courgette soup (among other things).
Mung Beans in Courgette Soup
Believed to have originated in the Middle East, mung beans are cultivated in various countries in Asia. In the bean family, mung beans are the tiniest ones, and have a green husk.
You may have heard of moong dal or green gram (esp. in the Indian cuisine). While mung bean refers to the whole (intact) bean, moong dal are split mung beans – the husk has been removed.
For this soup, I use the (whole) mung beans.
I generally add a cup of legumes to my soups. Good for the proteins (important to us because we are plant eaters) but also for the taste. Based on a totally unscientifically done research – ergo, getting compliments on certain soups – I’ve concluded that mung-beans are high contributors in giving my soup that extra touch.
Mung-beans turn out to combine particularly well with courgettes (zucchinis).
Courgette/Zucchini – It’s all about the ‘How’
Contrary to mung beans, I never liked courgette. But that’s because I only knew it as an ingredient in stew/stir-fry kind of dishes, turning the courgette into a mushy ‘thing’. Anosmics – not being able to smell (yes, that would be me) – generally are not into mushy foods.
Fortunately there are other ways to eat courgette, and soup possibly is my favorite. Creamy soup, that is. Our Bamix hand blender has served us well over the years in giving my soup the perfect touch.
A Note on Seaweed
I’m by no means an expert but apparently it helps to add seaweed (esp. Kombu) to legume dishes. As this article states, “Kombu contains enzymes that help break down the raffinose sugars in beans, which are the gas-producing culprits. Once they are broken down, we are able to absorb more of the nutrients, and we can enjoy these legumes without as many intestinal complaints.“
No idea if that’s truly the case, but since I have seaweed in my cupboard, I use it. Because of the salty taste I don’t add salt.
Mung-bean & Courgette Soup (3-liter Pressure Cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tomatoes
- some 4 inch of leek
- two courgettes/zucchinis
- 3 small carrots
- ½ cup of mung beans (possibly already soaked)
- spices: salt (or bit of seaweed), black pepper, 3 teaspoons of ras el hanout, 2 juniper berries, daon salam (type of bay leaf)
- coconut cream
Tools & Equipment
This is what we use to prepare soup in the pressure cooker:
- Coleman stove
- Pressure cooker
- Global knives
- Lansky sharpener
- Cutting board
- Wooden spatula
- Bamix hand blender
For a full list of kitchen gear we use in the Land Cruiser, take a look at this overview.
Preparation
A note on mung beans: it’s best (for any legume) to soak them for a night or so, to remove flatulence-causing compounds and make them easier to digest. Rinse thoroughly before cooking.
- Cut the onion, garlic, tomato and fry with the spices for a couple of minutes. Maybe you are used to adding oil for frying but I never do, I just add a bit of water when needed.
- Cut the leek and carrots and add them.
- Cut the courgettes and add them.
- Add the (soaked) mung beans.
- Fill up with water and bring to a boil.
- Let the courgette soup cook for 7 minutes (this can be shorter when beans have been soaked), and turn off the heat. I leave the pressure cooker sitting for at least 20 minutes to get a maximum flavor, but often just leave it standing until we’re ready to eat it in the evening.
- I use the hand blender to blend it into a creamy soup.
- Add a magic touch with a bit of coconut cream before serving.
Bon appetite!
Read More: Pressure Cooker 101
Books on Cooking Soup
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Products from Amazon
Tips, Suggestions, Feedback?
Do you like courgette soup, and have you tried adding legumes? And do you have a favorite soup you’d like to share (with or without legumes)? Feel free to do so in the comment section below!
Check it out: our Landcruising Adventure Apron Collection
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