This delicious mung bean curry is a great healthy vegan meal that the whole family will enjoy. It is very easy to make and includes lots of hidden vegetables so, if you've got picky kids at the table, this recipe is a great way to up their veggie intake! I've included Instant Pot and Thermomix instructions as well as stovetop so you can choose whichever cooking method you like best!
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe!
- It’s super tasty but not at all spicy since most kids don’t like chilli (you can always add extra chilli if you want to!)
- It’s easy to make and you can use any of the cooking equipment you like to use – see below for different recipe cards depending on whether you’re making it traditionally in a skillet or casserole on the stovetop, or in the Thermomix, or in the Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker).
- It’s really healthy with lots of vegetables and mung beans which are a fantastic source of plant-based protein.
- Mung beans are usually a more acceptable bean to young children because they are small and nutty rather than the larger mushy beans.
What are Mung Beans?
I’ve said this before on the blog but it’s worth repeating… mung beans are plant-based superheroes! These tiny little nutty beans are absolutely loaded to the brim with plant-based proteins, fibre, and antioxidants, particularly potassium, magnesium and folate. (If you want to learn more about their impressive nutritional benefits, check this Healthline article on mung beans). This is probably why mung beans (also known as moong beans or moong dahl) are very popular in Indian cooking, since there is a high vegetarian population in India.
Aside from their health benefits, I also find the nutty texture of mung beans really pleasing and quite unlike the other beans that my family often complain about.
Tips for Introducing Children To Curry
I have to admit, curry never used to be the children’s favourite food – I used to have to call it stew because the word “curry” put them off and they instantly started complaining about it being spicy (even when I hadn’t put any chilli in it at all!).
Then, one day, I decided to do a PR make-over on it and I served curry with a big pile of poppadoms and a dollop of sweet mango chutney on the side. Suddenly the kids decided they loved curry and couldn’t get enough of it.
So, my advice is to always serve curry with poppadoms (and mango chutney) so that the two go together and they associate the fun of poppadoms with curry meals. It's worked for our family and this mung bean curry is now firmly in our favourite vegan family meals hall of fame! However, getting them to accept a little more spice is still a work in progress...
Main Ingredients
This mung bean curry is packed full of healthy whole-food ingredients. There are no strange ingredients that you have to hunt high and low for. It's all easy normal ingredients that you can get in the supermarket!
- Base vegetables – onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, and courgette (zucchini) – these "hidden vegetables" provide the base flavour and also all those lovely vitamins and minerals.
- Mung beans – use dried whole mung beans. These can be found in the supermarket where the dried beans and lentils are. They are small and green coloured and are a great ingredient to keep in your pantry as they keep well in an airtight container and, unlike other dried beans, they cook quickly and don't require any soaking.
- Spinach - I use frozen spinach in this recipe just because it's easy to keep in the freezer and so I always have it on hand. If you buy the cubes of chopped spinach, it also disintegrates nicely into little dark green flecks in the sauce rather than as big long leaves that kids find less palatable.
- Spices – garlic, ginger, ground cumin (or cumin seeds if you prefer them whole), coriander powder, turmeric powder, cardamom powder, and garam masala - spices contain certain compounds that are supposed to aid heart health and brain health, so try to include them in your meals as much as possible! The spices in this curry are not hot so there is no chilli heat that will put young children off. You can of course add some chilli powder or chopped chillies if you like!
- Passata - this is basically sieved tomatoes. It is usually sold in bottles alongside tinned tomatoes. Use tinned tomatoes instead if you that's all you have.
- Tamarind Paste - this has an amazing tangy sweet and sour flavour that adds a touch of zing at the end of cooking! If you can't find any in your supermarket or local Asian shop then you could substitute with a teaspoon of sugar and a squeeze of lime juice instead but it's definitely worth trying to find tamarind paste if at all possible!
- Coconut Cream - this adds a creamy richness to the curry. However, you can leave it out completely if you prefer or substitute with a can of coconut milk instead for a less rich option.
Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full list of ingredients and their quantities.
How To Make This Recipe
This mung bean curry recipe is so easy to make. The basic steps are as follows:
- Fry the chopped onion for a few minutes, then add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute.
- Add the spices and fry stirring for a minute.
- Add the carrots and courgette (zucchini) and the vegetable stock, passata and mung beans. Simmer over a low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
- Add the frozen spinach and put the lid back on and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut cream and tamarind puree and serve garnished with nigella seeds and coriander (cilantro) leaves.
See, it’s really easy!
If cooking in the Instant Pot, you do the initial part on sauté setting and then pressure cook for 20 minutes.
Cooking in the Thermomix is also super easy as it will even do the chopping for you!
This is a summary only. Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page for full instructions. Instant Pot and Thermomix instructions are also included in the recipe card.
Video
Watch "How to make this family-friendly Mung Bean Curry in the Instant Pot"
Serving suggestions
This mung bean curry recipe works as a crowd-pleasing vegan family meal with some steaming hot brown basmati rice and a pile of poppadoms. I like to garnish with nigella seeds and coriander leaves and serve mango chutney on the side for a bit of sweetness with it. You could also serve it with some Indian bread, like naan bread or chapatti.
For a low-carb option, you could serve with cauliflower rice instead or just skip the rice altogether and serve it almost like a chunky mung bean curry soup which is equally delicious.
Variations
There are endless ways you could adjust this easy mung bean curry recipe to your own taste.
- Add some more Indian spices like black mustard seeds or fenugreek seeds, or throw in some curry leaves when frying the spices.
- Or you could take out some of the spices and substitute with curry powder instead of all the individual spice powders.
- If you like it spicy, add some sliced red or green chilies when you add the garlic and ginger, or add some red chili powder with the other spices.
If you want an even simpler option, I have a recipe for a plain green gram dahl in my "How to cook mung beans in the Instant Pot" post.
Mung Bean Curry FAQs
This curry keeps well and develops over time. So definitely keep your leftovers for another day! Either freeze for another day or serve leftover curry re-heated and wrapped in tortillas with a dollop of plant-based natural yoghurt and some cucumber.
Curries are great for making ahead because the flavours develop the longer you leave it. Keep the curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. It's great to make a double batch of this curry so that you can freeze half of it ready for when you need a healthy convenience meal!
Although this curry tastes delicious straight from the pan, it gets even better if you make it a day ahead! Just keep it in a covered container in the fridge and then re-heat over a gentle heat in a pan or microwave until piping hot throughout.
More Delicious Vegan Family Meals
If you like this vegan mung bean curry recipe, you may like these other delicious vegan and gluten-free family-friendly main course recipes too:
Or click here to learn how to make mung beans perfectly in the Instant Pot on their own.
Recipe cards 📋
There are THREE recipe cards for this mung bean curry recipe - you can choose which one you want depending on whether you want to cook it traditionally in a pan on the stove, or in the Thermomix, or in the Instant Pot. Just scroll down to whichever one you want!
Stove-top
📖 Recipe 📖
Family-Friendly Mung Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil
- 100 g onions, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cm cube ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 100 g carrot , finely diced
- 100 g courgette (zucchini), finely diced
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 250 ml passata, (or tinned tomatoes)
- 160 g dried mung beans
- 150 g frozen spinach cubes
- 100 g coconut cream
- 3 teaspoon tamarind puree
- nigella seeds and coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and sauté the onion until slightly browned and translucent (5 mins.)2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil, 100 g onions
- Add garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute, stirring (add a splash of water if the garlic starts to stick).4 garlic cloves, 2 cm cube ginger
- Add the spices and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly.2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Then add the carrots, courgette (zucchini), stock, passata and mung beans. Stir well to get any bits off the bottom of the pan, then put the lid on and simmer for 40 mins, stirring occasionally (add more water or stock if it starts to get too dry).100 g carrot, 100 g courgette (zucchini), 750 ml vegetable stock, 250 ml passata, 160 g dried mung beans
- Taste. If the mung beans are soft, then add the spinach. Stir well and simmer for another 2-3 minutes so that the spinach defrosts and dissipates into the mixture.150 g frozen spinach cubes
- Add the coconut cream and tamarind puree and stir through. Taste and season according to your personal flavour profile, adding more tamarind, coconut cream and salt as necessary.100 g coconut cream, 3 teaspoon tamarind puree
- Serve with brown rice and poppadoms and garnished with coriander (cilantro) leaves and nigella seeds. If you want to make your portion spicy, add chilli oil or dried chilli flakes on top.nigella seeds and coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish
Notes
- It’s important not to let the garlic burn as it will give an acrid flavour to the dish. To avoid it burning, if it looks a little dry when frying, just add a touch of water to stop it sticking to the pan.
- Likewise, for the spices, it is important to fry off the raw flavour but not to take it so far that they burn. Just make sure it’s not over a really hot heat and stir constantly then add the stock as soon as the smell of the spices starts getting stronger.
Nutrition
Instant Pot
The Instant Pot instructions for this recipe were created in the Instant Pot Duo (paid affiliate link) and should work in the same way with all pressure cookers that allow you to manually set your own pressure cooking time. Please check the user manual for your own Instant Pot.
📖 Recipe 📖
Instant Pot Family-Friendly Mung Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil
- 100 g onions, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cm cube ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 100 g carrot, finely diced
- 100 g courgette (zucchini), finely diced
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 250 ml passata, (or tinned tomatoes)
- 160 g dried mung beans
- 150 g frozen spinach cubes
- 100 g coconut cream
- 3 teaspoon tamarind puree
- nigella seeds and coriander leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until slightly browned and translucent (5 mins).2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil, 100 g onions
- Add garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for another minute, stirring constantly.4 garlic cloves, 2 cm cube ginger
- Add the spices and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly.2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Then add the carrots, courgette (zucchini), stock, passata and mung beans. Stir well to get any bits off the bottom of the pan and then put the lid on and set to pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.100 g carrot, 100 g courgette (zucchini), 750 ml vegetable stock, 250 ml passata, 160 g dried mung beans
- At the end of the cooking time, leave to naturally release the steam for 5 minutes then do a quick pressure release and carefully remove the lid. Add the frozen spinach pieces, stir well, then put the lid back on and set to pressure cook for 1 more minute. (It will come back to pressure very quickly).150 g frozen spinach cubes
- At the end of the minute pressure cooking, do a quick pressure release and carefully remove the lid again. Add the coconut cream and tamarind puree and stir well.100 g coconut cream, 3 teaspoon tamarind puree
- Season to taste and add more tamarind, coconut cream and salt according to your taste. Serve with brown rice and poppadoms and garnished with coriander leaves and nigella seeds. If you want to make your portion spicy, add chilli oil or dried chilli flakes on top.nigella seeds and coriander leaves to garnish
Notes
- It is important not to let the garlic burn as it will give an acrid flavour to the dish. To avoid it burning, if it looks a little dry when frying, just add a touch of water to stop it sticking to the pan.
- Likewise, for the spices, it is important to fry off the raw flavour but not to take it so far that they burn. Stir constantly then add the stock as soon as the smell of the spices starts getting stronger.
Nutrition
Thermomix
📖 Recipe 📖
Thermomix Family-Friendly Mung Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil
- 100 g onions , quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cm cube ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 100 g carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 100 g courgette (zucchini), roughly chopped
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 250 ml passata, (or tinned tomatoes)
- 160 g dried mung beans
- 150 g frozen spinach cubes (7 cubes)
- 100 g coconut cream
- 3 teaspoon tamarind puree
- nigella seeds and coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Place the onion, garlic and ginger in the Thermomix with the oil and set to 3 secs / sp. 5. Then scrape down the sides with a spatula and set to cook for 8 mins / 120°C / sp. Stir (MC on but then remove MC half way through once it comes up to temperature).2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil, 100 g onions, 4 garlic cloves, 2 cm cube ginger
- Add the spices (being careful to sprinkle round the edges and not just straight on top of the middle of the blade) and set to 2 mins / 100°C / sp. Stir.2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Add the carrots and courgette (zucchini) and set to 3 secs / sp. 5, then scrape down the sides with a spatula.100 g carrot, 100 g courgette (zucchini)
- Add the vegetable stock, passata and mung beans. Stir with the spatula to ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the jug. Set to cook for 40 mins. / 100°C / sp. Rev. 1.750 ml vegetable stock, 250 ml passata, 160 g dried mung beans
- Add the frozen spinach cubes and set to 3 mins / 100°C / sp. Rev. 1.150 g frozen spinach cubes (7 cubes)
- Add the coconut cream and tamarind puree and stir through by setting for 30 secs / sp. Rev. 2.100 g coconut cream, 3 teaspoon tamarind puree
- Season to taste and add more tamarind, coconut cream and salt according to your taste. Serve with brown rice and poppadoms and garnished with coriander leaves and nigella seeds. If you want to make your portion spicy, add chilli oil or dried chilli flakes on top.nigella seeds and coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish
Notes
- When you add the spices, make sure to add them around the outside of the blade rather than straight on top. Otherwise they will just sit on top of the middle bit of the blade and and they won't cook.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating ⭐ on the recipe card!
🌿
Follow me on Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest or subscribe to my emails!
🌿
mkirkwag says
Have you tried cooking the rice in the steamer on top at same time as the cooking the curry in the Thermomix? I read that someone was doing that and wondered if it's common and how you make the times match.
Camilla Sanderson says
That’s an interesting point. I haven’t tried it myself because I prefer cooking rice in a large pot of water and then discarding the cooking water to reduce the arsenic content of the rice. However, if this is not something you’re bothered about then it would make it even more simple to be able I do the whole meal at the same time in the thermomix. I would imagine you’d need to reduce the recipe quantities to make space for the steamer basket and perhaps might need a little more liquid content for the rice to absorb from the steam. White basmati rice takes about 12 mins to steam in the TM so you’d just add it for the final 12 mins. You could perhaps try it with a small quantity at first to see if it works?