Persian-Style Mung Bean Soup
27
- Prep Time25 mins
- Total Time1 hr 10 mins
- Makes8 servings
Photography by Christie Vuong; Food Styling by Sage Dakota; Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari.
I came across Ash-e Mash, a staple Persian soup with legumes and turnips, while looking for soups that used inexpensive, readily available ingredients. Each Persian home has its own version of this dish, which is usually served in the spring. It’s so hearty, warming and nutritious that I often find myself cooking my own version of it in colder seasons, too. I like to serve it with some flaky sea salt and additional fresh herbs overtop. —Joshna Maharaj
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 turnips, peeled and diced
1 tsp ground turmeric
9 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup dried mung beans
1/2 cup white rice
1 leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup roughly chopped dill
1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
2 tbsp roughly chopped thyme
1 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add onion and sauté until lightly golden, 10 min. Add turnips and turmeric and sauté until turnips brown slightly, 5 min.
Add water and mung beans and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 min.
Stir in all remaining ingredients and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until mung beans have softened, 45 min. Adjust as needed to reach a dense consistency (with little liquid) by simmering further without a lid or adding more water.
Kitchen tip
Take a lesson from the pros and reserve your vegetable scraps to make a broth. In an airtight container, gather all your vegetable waste (garlic peels, onion trimmings, herb stems and so on) and keep in the freezer until you are ready to prep your broth. Add your scraps (frozen or defrosted) to a stock pot along with 10 black peppercorns, 2 to 3 garlic cloves and a quartered onion. Fill pot with enough water to cover the vegetable scraps and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min. Cool, then strain before using.
Get more filling, inexpensive soup recipes here.