Nutty Mung Bean & Chicken Soup: A Comforting Nourishing Meal
Nutty Mung Bean & Chicken Soup: A Comforting Nourishing Meal
Warm up from the inside out with this hearty Mung Bean Chicken Soup, perfect for warding off colds and boosting your energy on chilly days. A truly satisfying meal!
I’m not usually a fan of boiled chicken dishes like Baek숙 (Baeksuk) or Samgyetang. I generally prefer my meat grilled to perfection! That’s why I often skip traditional chicken soups even during the hottest days of summer. However, I discovered that ‘Mung Bean Chicken Soup,’ with its addition of earthy mung beans, is a delightful exception. The nutty, comforting flavor of the mung beans creates a unique taste profile, quite different from regular chicken soup. You might just find yourself craving this delicious and wholesome dish regularly! Give it a try and fall in love with the charm of mung beans.
Main Ingredients- 1 whole chicken (approx. 1 kg / 2.2 lbs)
- 2 cups hulled mung beans (approx. 200g)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
The first crucial step to a delicious Mung Bean Chicken Soup is soaking the mung beans! If they aren’t properly soaked, they can take a very long time to cook. The best method is to rinse 2 cups of hulled mung beans thoroughly the day before, then soak them in plenty of water and refrigerate. Even with hulled beans, some small pieces of skin might remain, so after soaking, rinse them multiple times under running water. This prevents the broth from becoming cloudy due to bean skins and also avoids a slightly gritty texture.
Step 2
Once your mung beans are nicely plumped after an overnight soak, it’s time to cook the chicken. I prefer using a pressure cooker for both efficiency and flavor. Place the cleaned whole chicken in the pressure cooker and add just enough water to partially cover the chicken. At this stage, you can add aromatics like whole garlic cloves, dried jujubes, ginseng, and astragalus root to enhance the broth’s depth. (I personally added only the garlic this time.) Secure the lid and cook on the stove for 25 minutes. Using a pressure cooker ensures the chicken becomes tender while rendering a rich broth.
Step 3
After the chicken has cooked, carefully remove it from the pressure cooker. Then, strain the flavorful chicken broth into a clean pot. If you notice any excess fat floating on the surface of the broth, skim it off. Removing this fat will result in a cleaner, less greasy, and wonderfully light chicken soup.
Step 4
Into the pot with the clarified chicken broth, add all the soaked mung beans. Now, let the mung beans simmer and cook in this flavorful broth for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level and add more if necessary to ensure the beans are submerged.
Step 5
After simmering for about 30 minutes, you’ll notice the mung beans have softened and are beginning to break down slightly, thickening the soup. Be careful not to overcook them, as they can become too mushy and lose their texture. Conversely, undercooked beans will be hard and unpleasant. The goal is for the beans to be tender with a slight bite.
Step 6
We’re almost there! Gently return the cooked chicken to the pot with the mung bean broth. Simmer together until the soup reaches your desired consistency and the chicken is heated through. While it’s best enjoyed piping hot, continuously kept warm over low heat, for convenience at home, I recommend heating portions as needed.
Step 7
Since no salt was added during cooking, the soup might taste bland. This is where you can personalize the flavor! Prepare a dipping sauce by mixing salt, pepper, and toasted sesame seeds to accompany the chicken. For the mung bean porridge-like soup, you can add a pinch of salt directly into your serving to taste. Enjoy the wonderful combination of nutty mung beans and tender chicken!
