I am remembering Suman and my other lovely friends in Nepal where I was on assignment with US AID working with Kathmandu mushroom farmers. Nepali people will soon be celebrating Janai Purnima, a Hindu festival remarkable for family get togethers and feasts of the traditional dish, Kwati, a sprouted bean soup which is significant in Nepali tradition because it provided high protein nourishment for the crop planting season.
My friends in Kathmandu call this festival Gunhi Punhi, and it is one of their most religiously significant occasions. This year it will be celebrated on August 3rd in both Nepal and in my Oregon home where I will be cooking up this nutritious and quite delicious soup for my special friends and family.
Many thanks to Dixya Bhattarai, the blogger behind the website "Food, Pleasure, Health" who was born and raised in Kathmandu, for sharing her instant pot recipe for Kwati. Of course, it is equally delicious when prepared in a pressure cooker or a crock pot, although the cooking time is increased. When I prepare Kwati in my crock pot, it usually is perfectly cooked in about 4 hours.
And, our sincere apologies to Ms. Bhattarai: we just had to add some of our mushroom powder, because we are a mushroom focused website and because we worked with mushroom farmers when in Nepal.
By the 3rd day, my beans were sprouting nicely.
Kwati, a traditional Nepali soup
1.5 cup dry 9 bean mix (or en equal mix of different beans), about 5 cups soaked and sprouted
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon cumin seed
2 teaspoon fenugreek seed
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cinnamon bark
3 bay leaf
3 cloves
6 cardamom, smashed
1 pinch asafetida (hing powder)
Salt, to taste
2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 tablespoon mushroom powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
6 cups water
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoon ghee
1 tablespoon thyme seed (jwano, ajwain seed)
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Rinse the 9 bean mix and pre-soak 3-4 days before cooking. Change water on the 2nd day and drain the water. Cover the soaked 9 bean mix with cheese-cloth or something with light ventilation on your kitchen countertop. Rinse them again on the 3rd day. Depending on the temperature, you may notice sprouts will start to germinate as early as day 3 in warmer temperature. In winter months, it might take additional day or two. Let the sprouting continue for additional day and rinse them again. It will be ready to use after that. You can refrigerate (or freeze) the sprouted beans in a closed container until ready to be used.
- When ready to cook kwati, turn on your instant pot to sauté and add oil. Add cumin seed, fenugreek seed to the pot and saute for a minute or two and add chopped onions. Stir the onion every few minutes and fry until reddish brown.
- To the pot, add sprouted 9 bean mix along with minced ginger and garlic. Gently cover the pot and cook for additional 5-7 minutes gently stirring the pot.
- Once the water evaporates, add aromatics such as bay leaf, cinnamon bark, cloves, cardamom, asafetida, and salt to taste. Continue stirring the pot and add turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, mushroom powder and chili powder. Add 6 cups of water and close the lid and make sure to seal.
- Turn the instant pot setting to manual for 10 minutes. When cooked, let it naturally release the pressure, which takes another 15-18 minutes. Open the lid and stir everything.
- Add garam masala and adjust the salt and other seasonings as needed and close the lid again.
- In a small pan, heat ghee (or oil if vegan or dairy-free), and fry thyme seed until fragrant and slightly brown. Pour the hot ghee-thyme mixture on Kwati and mix everything.
- Stir the Kwati and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve it hot.
Note: I find that Kwati is quite delicious when cooked in my crock pot for about 4 hours.
It's fun to make your own version of bean mix.