Mung Bean Lovers’ Pasta

Mung Bean Lovers' PastaMung Bean Rotini & Mung Bean Sprouts in a Coconut Curry
#glutenfreevegan

Here’s a zippy gluten-free vegan pasta dish that’s full of flavor and spice, made with two different forms of mung beans. Those small green oval-shaped legumes are nutrient-dense and high in plant-based protein and dietary fiber. They are milled and ground into flour to make rotini shaped pasta. Fresh mung bean sprouts add texture and have a somewhat nutty flavor. They add more fiber, and Vitamins K and C.

I use Trader Joe’s Curry Powder with its wonderful exotic spice blend of cumin, turmeric, chile pepper, mustard, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, red pepper, cinnamon, black pepper, and saffron. Then I add more ground turmeric for the extra boost of flavor, color, and especially the curcumin. Curcumin is the chemical in turmeric that is responsible for its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

A garnish of plenty of chopped cilantro, sliced scallions, and a drizzle of chili oil (or chili flakes) make this colorful pasta dish especially exciting and appealing!

Mung Beans Lovers’ Pasta Recipe

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Curried Mung Bean Soup, Kimchi, Chili Oil

mung bean soup, kimchi

Curried Mung Bean Soup, Kimchi, Chili Oil
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A Trip to The Dish Factory

Neither this soup nor a trip to The Dish Factory are for the faint of heart. Asian-fusion-style mung bean soup is flavored with hot muchi curry powder, garnished with pungent kimchi, and dotted with chili oil. Located in the center of Downtown LA, The Dish Factory is housed in an old four-story building with rickety flooring, steep stairwells, and dark hallways.

Carrying the largest china inventory in the Western US and all sorts of restaurant equipment with 60,000 sq. ft. of merchandise at heavily discounted prices, I was absolutely ecstatic when my dear friends and fabulous restaurateurs Scott & Gina Lee invited me to join them on a dish excursion. I had been lusting after top restaurants’ super-wide rimmed plates and bowls for a while, as the portion-size is petite but the presentation is dramatic. Perfect, in fact, for this vibrant soup.

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