In this Easy Mung Bean Curry, mung beans are simmered in an aromatic and well-spiced, creamy coconut sauce until they are tender. Served with roti or rice, this curry can be a part of a delicious plant-protein packed meal.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
I have been trying to follow a more plant-based diet recently. During this journey, I have been trying to incorporate more plant-based proteins into my meal rotations. One of my favorite plant-based proteins are Mung beans.
What are mung beans?
Mung beans are a tiny green legume. Their scientific species name is Vigna radiate. They are also referred to as moong beans, green gram, maash, moon, monggo, and mungg.
When cooked, a cup of these little green legumes contain 14 grams of plant protein and 15 grams of fiber. They are also a significant source of folate, manganese, magnesium, thiamine (B1), phosphorous, iron, copper, potassium, and zinc. In addition, these mung beans also contain some vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, selenium, calcium, and choline.
While legend has it that they originated in India, they are now widely available and popular across Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East.
In fact, during my childhood in Sri Lanka, my mom made savory and sweet dishes in which mung beans were the star.
When I first came to the US to attend college, mung beans were not easily available. I used to get them from Cherians – a South Asian store in Decatur.
However, these days, I see packages of dried green mung beans next to the dry beans at most major grocery stores. Which brings me back to this curry…
What are the ingredients to make this curry?
Made with only 11 ingredients, this easy mung bean curry tastes so indulgently creamy and tasty. While it might taste indulgent, this curry is actually made with healthy, wholesome ingredients such as:
- red onion,
- celery,
- garlic,
- ginger,
- coriander,
- turmeric,
- smoked paprika,
- vegetable stock,
- coconut milk,
- mung beans, and
- parsley.
If you like your curry spicy (like I do) then add in some chili powder, but as it is optional, I am not including it in the ingredient list.
I did not soak the mung beans before I used them. In my experience, dry mung beans are a bit like dried daal, they can be cooked without soaking. Just make sure to rinse them well. I usually do this by placing the mung beans in a large bowl. Then, I add water to the bowl to cover the mung. I stir the water a bit with my hands and then pour out the water. Usually, the water that is drained out is a bit murky. Then, I add in more water and repeat the process until the draining water is clear.
This curry can be prepared quickly. Usually, from start to finish, this curry takes about 40-45 minutes. If I have to peel and cut onions, ginger, garlic, then it takes a bit longer. But sometimes, I have precut onions, ginger, and garlic on hand. When the latter happens, it is just a matter of sautéing and simmering, which means the curry can be ready in 40 minutes at the most.
What to serve with this easy mung bean curry?
I like to serve this easy mung curry with this broccoli cilantro salad, Mung Bean Cabbage Sauté, and some roti for a simple dinner.
But, if I am trying to put together a more elaborate plant-based meal, I like to serve this curry along with some spiced rice pilaf, some oven roasted eggplant, a bit of jackfruit seed curry or cashew curry (these add so much texture to my plate), some zucchini curry, and some mango chutney or apple chutney.
F.A.Q.’s
Mung beans, like lentils (AKA daal), can be cooked without soaking. Just make sure to rinse them well to loosen any debris that they might have accumulated.
Mung beans are packed with plant protein and fiber. They also contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. It is said that they can help aide digestive health, lower LDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, and inflammation.
Mung beans are a versatile legume. They are delicious in savory curries, like this one. They can also be added to a rice pilaf as well as tossed into a veggie sauté. They can also be boiled and mixed with coconut and jaggery or brown sugar, for a sweet treat. Or, they can be enjoyed in this easy oatmeal mung bean bake as well as this mung bean shake!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 4 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder OPTIONAL
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 3 cups coconut milk I used Chaokoh coconut milk
- 2 cups mung beans
- salt and pepper to taste
- Handful of parsley
Instructions
- Peel and dice the onion, ginger cloves, and garlic and set aside.
- Rinse the celery stalks and dice them too.
- Add oil to a large, deep frying pan or saucepan and add in the onion, ginger, and garlic and saute about 4-5 minutes over a medium flame. Make sure to stir often so they do not burn.
- While the onion, ginger, garlic are sauteing, rinse the mung beans. Place the mung beans in a large bowl. Then, add water to the bowl to cover the mung. Stir the water a bit with your hands and then pour out the water. Usually, the water that is drained out is a bit murky. Then, add in more water and repeat the process until the draining water runs clear.
- Add in the diced celery and saute about a minute.
- Then add in the corainder, turmeric, smoked paprika, chili powder (if using), vegetable stock, coconut milk, and rinsed mung beans. Stir well.
- Then, bring curry to a boil and cover and let simmer about 25-30 minutes or until green mung beans are tender.
- Remove from the flame and stir in the parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.
Nutrition
I hope you give this recipe a try. And, if you do, please leave me a comment below letting me know your thoughts.
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Easy to make, healthy, forgiving of substitutions. Mine took a little longer to cook, but it was worth it.
I’m not terribly keen on mung beans but decided to give this curry a try. I loved it and will certainly cook it again. I did use light coconut cream instead of milk.
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Can’t wait to try, Thank you!!
easy enough to make quickly. I served it with rice and it came out great. I used 1/3 the amount of coconut milk to tone down the richness of it, tasted great.
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Hi Shashi,
I made this last night and finished the leftovers for lunch today. Enjoyed by all the family – thank you! It’s the first time I’ve added smoked paprika to a curry – a new idea for me.
Having added all the ingredients but before cooking was finished, I tasted the sauce and thought it was going to end up too sweet for me and too creamy. I added some cumin and also a tin of chopped tomatoes which seemed to do the trick. I guess I added less water to my stock to balance out. Looking to add texture, I added some white cabbage about 15 mins before serving, and finally a can of new potatoes too. I think this outshone the chicken korma I was serving this as a side dish to, and was a very nice meal on its own this lunchtime! I’ll make this again. A lovely change from mung bean recipies that are essentially soups. Thank you!
Simply excellent!
I made this Mung Bean Curryhete in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and it was greatly enjoyed by all the family. I was asked to please keep the recipe to make again.
Great recipe, easy to make and very tasty.
This was delicious! I needed a recipient for Mung beans without tomatoes and Thai one was perfect. Thank you for sharing!
What a flavorful recipe for mung beans. Love the creaminess from the coconut milk. Delicious served over white rice.
Oh I LOVE curry, so I must give this recipe a try! Can’t wait to make it for dinner this week!
I’ve never tried a mung bean curry but these flavors sound amazing!
Wow this looks so great! My husband is from Sri Lanka and while I’ve tried a few meals including buryani, I’ve never tried mung bean curry. I can’t wait to try this dish, thank you!
Love mung beans. Drooling over this flavorful curry. pinned to try this soon
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