This creamy mung bean curry is an absolutely delicious mung bean coconut curry, packed with spices, sweet roasted vegetables, and a creamy sauce with both coconut milk and tomato sauce.
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Ingredient Notes
Butternut squash - this will bring a sweetness to the curry, especially after roasted which makes it even sweeter.
Red bell pepper - when roasted it is almost caramelized and packed with flavor as in with this tofu buddha bowl!
Onion, garlic and ginger - to make the base for the curry, it is almost essential to add these 3 key ingredients.
Cumin seeds, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, garam masala - all of these spices will make this dish packed with flavor.
Coconut milk and chopped tomatoes - this will make the sauce for the curry. This combo is not only perfect for the curry but for other tasty meals such as this vegan gnocchi bake!
Dried mung beans - mung beans are one of my favorite beans to use and bring an incredible texture to the dish.
The complete list of ingredients is located in the recipe card below.
Step by step instructions
Roasted vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
- Cube the butternut squash and slice the red bell pepper and place them on a baking tray. Cover with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of black pepper, and salt.
- Transfer the baking tray to the oven when it has preheated.
- Remove the butternut squash and red bell pepper after 25 minutes. They should be fork-tender.
Mung bean cooking
- To a large pot, add a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat.
- When warm, add the cumin seeds and cook for about 1 minute until they begin to darken.
- Add the chopped onion with the spices and fry for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped ginger and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the water and chopped tomatoes along with the dried mung beans and bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to low, cover and simmer for 35 minutes.
- Taste a few mung beans to make sure they are cooked. When they are, add the garam masala, the roasted vegetables with the coconut milk. simmer for 5 minutes and serve.
Tips and variations
Vegetables - What I love about a curry is how it can be a leftover meal! Youc an add any vegetables that would be going to waste and either roasting them prior or cooking them with the mung beans.
Mung beans - If you don't have mung beans, you can replace these with dried red lentils. I haven't tested it but it should work perfectly.
Side dishes
The simplest and, if you ask me, one of the best sides for curry is simply plain rice or you could also go for something even better - lemon cilantro rice!
You could also serve this curry with some naan bread and some pan fried potatoes and onions!
How to store it
This holds super well in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
How to freeze it
Simply let it cool down and transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer.
How to reheat it
You could defrost it over night or on the microwave. And to reheat, simply heat it on the microwave or you could add to a pan and bring to a boil.
The flavor will be more intense as it happens with chili after it has been frozen or just placed on the fridge for even just one day!
Frequently asked questions
Yes! You can roast the vegetables without oil even though they won't be as caramelized and you can fry the cumin seeds, onion and spices without oil as long as it is a nonstick pan.
For this recipe, I prefer to peel the butternut squash prior to roasting it. So I recommend peeling it, cutting off the top steam and bottom end and discard, cutting it halfway and cubing it.
If you try this recipe let me know!
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Try these comfort meals next!
Creamy mung bean curry
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Pot
Ingredients
Roasted vegetables
- 1 small butternut squash (800g before peeling) cubed
- 1 red bell pepper (250g) sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of black pepper
Mung bean cooking
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 onions (165g) chopped
- 4 garlic cloves (20g)
- 15 gram ginger chopped
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 200 g dried mung beans
- 500 ml water
- 1 can chopped tomatoes (400g)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 can coconut milk (400g)
Instructions
Roasted vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
- Cube the butternut squash and slice the red bell pepper and place them on a baking tray. Cover with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of black pepper, and salt. Transfer the baking tray to the oven when it has preheated.
- Remove the butternut squash and red bell pepper after 25 minutes. They should be fork-tender.
Mung bean cooking
- To a large pot, add a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat.
- When warm, add the cumin seeds and cook for about 1 minute until they begin to darken.
- Add the chopped onion with the spices and fry for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped ginger and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the water and chopped tomatoes along with the dried mung beans and bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to low, cover and simmer for 35 minutes.
- Taste a few mung beans to make sure they are cooked. When they are, add the garam masala, the roasted vegetables with the coconut milk. simmer for 5 minutes and serve.
This was amazing. I didn’t bake the pepper and squash separately though. I just added the whole thing to instant pot. I thought it would be too spicy with all these spices but it was just perfect. Thank you for an excellent recipe.
Hi Mariana,
I used pumpkins instead as butternuts are unavailable in Japan.
It was rich and creamy.
I'm looking forward to your new recipes.
Love from Japan💗
This was amazing. I didn’t bake the pepper and squash separately though. I just added the whole thing to instant pot. I thought it would be too spicy with all these spices but it was just perfect. Thank you for an excellent recipe.
Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 Really happy you liked it!