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Mashawa
Bean soup with meatballs
ماشاوه (mashawa): thick northern Afghan soup of mung beans, chickpeas and kidney beans with meatballs, qurut and dill
When winter closes the roads around Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz, mashawa is the pot that simmers longest on the bukhari stove: a thick, tangy soup of mung beans, chickpeas and kidney beans, with tiny meatballs poached in it and a spoonful of qurut, salty dried yogurt, stirred through at the end. Dill and dried mint make it smell like a summer garden, and a little chilli warms it up; it is eaten with naan as a full meal, and Kabul families make it too. Bean soups like this stick to the pan and scorch easily once the beans soften, which leaves a bitter taste, so stir from the bottom often. Chef's tip: keep the meatballs no bigger than a hazelnut; they cook quickly and you get one in every spoonful.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
- 3 ½ oz whole mung beansrinsed and soaked 1 hour
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder
- 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeasdrained (1 tin)
- 8 ½ oz cooked red kidney beansdrained (1 tin)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper
For the meatballs
- 14 oz minced beef or lamb
- 1 /2 onionfinely grated and squeezed
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderfinely chopped
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper
To finish
- 2 ⅛ oz qurut (dried yogurt), softened in 100 ml warm wateror 200 g thick strained yogurt
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ oz fresh dillchopped
- 1 tsp dried mint
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 3 ½ oz whole mung beans and simmer in 6 ¼ cups water over a medium heat for 25 minutes until tender.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 1 onion for 6 minutes until golden, then stir in 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric and 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder for 1 minute.
6 minStep 3: Add the onion mixture, 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas, 8 ½ oz cooked red kidney beans, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper to the mung beans and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring from the bottom.
10 minStep 4: Mix 14 oz minced beef or lamb, 1 /2 onion, 2 tbsp fresh coriander, 1 /2 tsp salt and 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper and roll into small balls the size of a hazelnut.
Step 5: Drop the meatballs into the simmering soup and cook gently for 12–15 minutes, stirring carefully, until cooked through to 160°F and the soup has thickened.
15 minStep 6: Whisk the softened 2 ⅛ oz qurut (dried yogurt), softened in 100 ml warm water with 2 cloves garlic and a ladle of the soup until smooth, then take the pan off the heat and stir it in.
Step 7: Ladle into bowls and scatter with ½ oz fresh dill and 1 tsp dried mint.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 27 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mashawa take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomato purée?
- Ketchup, same amount (sweeter).
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