This Mung Bean and Coconut Curry is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes. It's ultra-creamy, comforting, and full of bold Indian flavors. I'm not much of an Indian cook, but this recipe could fool you into thinking I work at an Indian restaurant. Both stovetop and Instant Pot instructions are provided!
Can't get enough of Mung Beans? Try my Sweet Mung Bean Soup next!
๐ฅฅ About This Recipe
Mung beans are a type of bean popular in Indian cooking, especially curries! I love their texture. They're soft and tender, and they give a heartiness and thickness to anything you add them to. The best part is that they cook in about 45 minutes. If you're looking for a quick and hearty dinner, this could be it.
Coming from a Chinese family, we didn't eat much mung beans growing up. The only dish I can recall using them is Chinese mung bean soup, but that is more of a dessert. I wish we had used them more! They're so economical, and they have tons of fiber and protein.
๐ง Ingredients
- Dried Mung beans: This recipe can be made with either whole or split mung beans. I'm using whole beans today. I get them from the Indian market nearby for really cheap. Split mung beans are often labeled as moong dal. They cook much faster, so you'll need to reduce the cooking time by about 15-20 minutes.
- Aromatics: The only aromatics you need are garlic, ginger, and onions.
- Spices: Cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, and cayenne pepper. As always, grinding your own spices will be much more flavorful than buying them preground.
- Crushed tomatoes: You can also use four medium-fresh tomatoes, but I usually make this curry in the winter when fresh tomatoes are not in season.
- Coconut milk: This provides most of the creaminess. Full-fat is definitely recommended here. I've never made it with low-fat, but I don't think it will taste good.
- Butter: Indian people love to stir some butter into their curries at the end of cooking. You can omit this if you're vegan, but I never skip this step.
- Cilantro and Lemon: These are added at the end to add freshness. If you're one of those "cilantro tastes like soap" people, you can skip it or substitute it with parsley.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Heat a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, and once it starts shimmering, add onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
STEP 2: Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant, tossing frequently to prevent burning.
STEP 3: Add 3 cups of water, dried mung beans, and crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 35 minutes until the mung beans are mostly softened. If they're not quite soft after 35 minutes, add a few spoons of water and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
STEP 4: Remove the lid. Stir in coconut milk and butter. Continue cooking on low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes until the curry thickens and becomes creamy. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro, then serve.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Make sure to let the curry come to room temperature first.
๐ Recipe
Mung Bean And Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung beans,ย or split mung beans (the split variety will cook a bit quicker)
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, or avocado)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 tablespoons garlic (chopped, about 9 medium cloves)
- 2 tablespoons ginger (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ยฝ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 14 ounces can crushed tomatoes (400 ml)
- 14 ounces can coconut milk (400 ml, full-fat preferred)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (ยฝ of a small lemon)
- ยฝ cup cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- Rinse the mung beans in cold water until the water runs clear. Set aside.
- Heat a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, and once it starts shimmering, add onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add 3 cups of water, dried mung beans, and crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 35 minutes until the mung beans are mostly softened. If they're not quite soft after 35 minutes, add a few spoons of water and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid. Stir in coconut milk and butter. Continue cooking on low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes until the curry thickens and becomes creamy. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro, then serve.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Rinse the mung beans in cold water until the water runs clear.
- Using the "Sautรฉ" function, heat your Instant Pot on normal heat. Add the cooking oil, and then add onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt. Sautรฉ for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant, stirring frequently.
- Mix in 3 cups of water, mung beans, and crushed tomatoes. Place the lid on your Instant Pot and set it to manual pressure cook on HIGH setting for 10 minutes. It should take about 15 minutes to come to pressure.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (this should take about 20-30 minutes) and remove the lid.
- Stir in coconut milk, butter, lemon juice, and cilantro, then serve.
Stephanie
Yummy and super easy! I made it in the instant pot and added 2 chicken breasts. When finished I shredded the chicken and added back in. It didn't need the chicken, but it stretched the amount of the dish to feed more people. I served over rice. My mouth is sensitive to tomatoes, so I added a can of tomato sauce instead of the amount of crushed tomatoes. I added extra liquid, or broth, to make up the difference. Definitely a go to recipe from now on.
Deborah
The most delicious mung bean curry!! Everyone I have made it for, raves about it, it is absolutely fantastic!! Thank you so much ๐