Kwati (क्वाँटी (kwāti))
Overview
Kwati is a thick soup of nine kinds of sprouted beans from Nepal. A mix of beans and pulses, usually including black-eyed beans, mung beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, soya beans, field peas, black gram, broad beans and rice beans, is soaked and left to sprout for several days. The sprouts are cooked with ginger, garlic, onion, tomato and spices such as cumin, turmeric and ajwain, which is fried in ghee or oil at the start. The result is a hearty, nutritious soup with a mix of textures, eaten with rice or beaten rice. Some families add a little goat meat, but many make it without.
History
Kwati is a Newar dish from the Kathmandu Valley, and its name comes from the Newari words for hot soup. It is eaten during the festival of Janai Purnima, also called Kwati Punhi, in August, when the monsoon is ending. Sprouted beans are believed to restore strength after the long months of rice planting and to protect against colds.
Main ingredients
Nine sprouted beans, ajwain, ginger, garlic, tomato, cumin. The soup is built on bean cooking water and is usually served hot. Diet: vegan; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Tomato soups · More soups from Nepal
Recipe
Method
- 1
Heat the ghee and fry the ajwain and cumin until they crackle.
- 25 min
Add the onion, ginger and garlic, then the tomatoes and turmeric, and cook for 5 minutes.
- 35 min
Add the sprouted beans and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- 445 min
Add the water and simmer for 45 minutes until tender, season and serve with coriander.
- ✓
Serve. About 1h 20m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
