Moong and Celery Leaves Soup

EVENT: HEALTHY WELLTHY CUISINES

THEME: 59 HWCG #WINTER DELIGHTS AT HW

Having a hearty bowl of hot piping soup is the most comforting food one can during winter to ward off the cold. As I have mentioned before, I per say do not experience winter where I live. However at the moment I’m in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Usually Dec to March is suppose to hot but the weather here is cold, though the sun comes out.

My brother in law was teaching me how to make a sourdough bread(previous attempts have failed as the dough became too soft!) where handling the dough is much easier and the does not require too much kneading. He also has after much experimentation made the dough that fits the weather here.

To enjoy the freshly baked sourdough bread, we decided to make a healthy hearty soup with the ingredients available in the house. That’s when I came up with the idea of making a moong and celery leaves soup. I have noticed that so many people throw away the really fresh green celery leaves and just use the stalk. I like to add them to salads, to soups and stir fried veggies.

Initially I thought that combining green moong and celery leaves would result in a weird taste. However, surprisingly the soup was a burst of subtle tastes from all the ingredients used.

Here in my recipe I have added powdered dried herbs. My brother in law tends to dry the excess herbs and then pulses them in a food processor to make it into powders. I found that the taste and aroma of the herb powders was much more than the dried whole herbs we tend to use.

So lets get to the recipe straight away. The colour of the soup may not appear too appealing but its definitely a tasty, healthy and filling soup. One can add a bit of turmeric to alter the colour, without comprising on the overall taste.

MOONG AND CELERY LEAVES SOUP

4-6 Servings

¾ cup whole green grams (moong)

½ – ¾ cup finely chopped celery leaves

½ cup finely grated fresh coconut

3-4 cups vegetable stock or water

1 medium onion finely chopped

5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

½ tsp ginger paste

1 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil

1-1¼ tsp salt

1 tsp coarse pepper powder

1 tsp dried basil powder

½ tsp dried rosemary powder

½ – 1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Soak the moong in warm water for 1-2 hours.
2. Drain out the water and wash the soaked moong.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a pan.
4. Add cumin seeds and wait till they begin to sizzle.
5. Add chopped onion and stir fry it till it becomes soft.
6. Add garlic and ginger. Saute for a few seconds.
7. Add moong, coconut and salt. Mix well.
8. Add the water or vegetable stock.
9. Close the cooker and let it cook over medium heat for 3 whistles. If you’re using a pan, then cover and let the soup simmer till the moong beans are done and soft.
10. Add the celery leaves while the soup is hot. Cover the pan.
11. After 5 minutes, process the soup in a food processor or with a hand blender according to the way you will like it. Leave it a bit coarse or make it smooth completely.
12. Return the pan to the medium heat.
13. Add the herb powders, pepper powder, chili flakes and lemon juice.
14. Mix well and serve with some bread.

Tips:

• Add a bit of turmeric powder if you like.
• If you want a smooth soup, puree and strain it.
• If the celery leaves have a strong flavor add only half cup.
• You can add other vegetables like peas, carrots, French beans etc.

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A little request:

If you do try this recipe then please either

• add a comment below,
• send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
•  tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
• or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962

You may want to check out the following winter recipes:

bajri and moong dal khichdi

cauliflower and chickpea soup

vadiya saag

Kashmiri Kahwa

Please check out what Winter Delights fellow members have made:

Kachi Haldi Subji by Ruchi

Gur Papdi/Gol Papi/Sukhadi by Vanitha

Gur ki Roti by Shalu

Gur Rasgulla by Geetanjali

Methi Pakodi Kadhi by Rosy

Palak Tambli by Jayashree

Thippili Rasam/Long Pepper Rasam by Priya

Leftover Pongal Vadai by Seema

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