Never mind the Singaporean heat, we do crave for a good bowl of soup every now and then. And after discovering mung beans, it was hard to resist the succulent idea of making a vellutata of them. Traditionally, mung beans are actually believed to be refreshing for the body, and often used in dessert recipes as a way to cool down your stomach after a meal and prevent inflammations. Of course, I went exactly the opposite direction and made a Mediterranean style soup and hand-blended it to obtain a velvety, creamy result. I’d hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 carrot
1 clove of garlic
250g mung beans (soaked in abundant water for at least 4 hours)
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 ripe tomatoes
Thyme (fresh or dry)
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper

Step 1 – Soak the mung beans for at least 4 hours in abundant cold water.

Step 2 – Chop the garlic, onion and carrot finely. Fry them in a large saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil until they are soft.

Step 3 – Drain the mung beans and add them to the saucepan, mixing with a wooden spoon. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste and mix well.

Step 4 – Chop the tomatoes in cubes, and add them to the saucepan. Then add water up to double the height of the mung beans, add salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves and bring it to a boil.

Step 5 – Once it boils, turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 45 minutes, until the water reduces slightly and the mung beans are cooked. Adjust for salt.

Step 6 – Using a hand blender, reduce your soup to a velvety cream, ready to be served. When serving, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan, your toasted homemade bread would only complete the work!