Have you ever cooked with mung bean before? (Also called moong beans or green grams.) Mung beans are native to India, but are commonly used in dishes all throughout Asia. They can sometimes be a little bit trickier to find, I found mine at a local Afrian market of all places. Don't be scared. Yes its unusual, yes, its green, but yes, its delicious. 

I used our mung bean to make a curried soup. This is delicious served over rice like you would see served somewhere in India or Asia. Its savory and filling, and like most recipes found here, a great divergent away from a typical week night meal. 

Ingredients: 
2 cups dried mung beans
2 1/2 tablespoons beef bouillon 
7 cups water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion
2 garlic gloves
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger 
1 cup coconut milk
Salt and pepper as needed

Directions: 
In a large pot bring your bouillon and water to a boil, add your beans and boil for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer covered for another 40 minutes. You want your beans to be soft to the taste and the consistency of bean vs liquid to resemble a thick soup, almost a paste. Mash just a bit with a potato masher to break up the liquid into more of a paste. Dice your onions and mince your garlic. In a separate pan heat your oil, add your onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Add your curry and ginger. Cook on medium heat until onions soften and are translucent. Add your onion mixture to the bean mixture. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes, then add your coconut milk. Mix together and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over 

I was delightfully surprised at how delicious this dish was and it will be going in our regular rotation. Even my 2 year old asked for a second helping, and we all know how hard it can be to get a toddler to eat. It manages to be a satisfying vegetarian dish with hints of sweetness, an full bodied flavor. Give it a try, you won't regret it. 

I know a lot of my friends are afraid of curry. Don't be. Its a wonderful spice that is easy to control. This curried chicken soup recipe is a very refreshing and light. Its still warm and satisfying due to the rice and curry, but there is no cream and hardly any fat, so its a great healthy meal option during the new year. (Gotta stick to those resolutions, right?) 

4 small chicken breasts
2 carrots chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 bay leaves
kosher salt
pepper
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion thinly sliced into half moons
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup white rice
3 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
1/2 lemon 

Put your chicken, carrots, bay leaf and 1 tsp salt into a medium saucepan. Put 3 cups of chicken broth in the pan and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through (about 20 minutes). 

In another medium saucepan, melt your butter on medium heat. Add the onion, sugar, and 1 tsp salt and cook until the onion is soft (about 5 minutes). Add the curry and cook for 1 additional minute. Then add the remaining 3 cups of chicken broth. Using an immersion blender, blend the onions and broth until smooth. Then add your rice and simmer over medium heat, covered, until rice is cooked (about 15 minutes).

Shred your chicken pieces and remove your bay leaves. Combine both sauce pans into one and bring to a simmer. Add your chopped dill and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon and pour into 4 serving bowls. 

Bon apetite!