Indian Influenced Mung (Adzuki) Bean Salad

Mung or adzuki bean salad loaded with quick-pickled carrots and red onions and a gentle sprinkling of Indian influences… it tastes fab!

This recipe takes around an hour to come together, but it can be prepared in advance and eaten cold or eaten immediately.

Adzuki or Moong Bean Salad with Pickles

This wonderful mung bean salad is almost Indian in influence.

It's heady with spices from the Indian subcontinent, and it's brightened up with some light, quickly pickled carrots and red onions.

It is wonderfully simple to make, and whilst it takes a while, there are no complicated processes.

There are also no time pinches, beyond dressing the beans whilst they are still hot.

Mung beans are a staple of Indian food, and we all probably eat them more than we think, although that is mainly in Chinese food.

You know those bean sprouts you throw into a stir fry? There is a very reasonable chance that they started off life as a Mung bean.

They are often overlooked as a stand-alone ingredient and are mainly used in Dhals.

But they have the most incredible texture, and when dressed after being freshly cooked carry flavour really well!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to soak mung beans?

I've had this recipe on my website since 2018, and I always used to soak my mung/adzuki beans.

However, it is really not required, and they take maybe 5 minutes longer to cook than soaked beans.

Can I use tinned beans?

Mung beans have very little flavour of their own, which is why I add aromatics when I cook them.

Adding flavour whilst they are hot also helps a great deal, as a result, I would say, yes, but I would not advise doing so.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, this will sit fine in the fridge for a day or two; any longer and the pickle flavours start to overwhelm the dish.

If you have made it in advance, remove it from the fridge an hour or so before you are going to serve it.

My beans are not cooking. What should I do?

Like all beans, mung beans have a shelf life. So if you are reading this recipe with the vague notion that you have some mung beans you purchased in 2004 that you need to use up, then beware!

No matter how you store them, once beans are gone, they will never cook properly! Unfortunately, there is no way to check or test when your beans are knackered.

As a result, I always stick a date on the pack when I buy beans and throw them away 6 months later.

Yes, potentially wasteful, but nowhere near as wasteful as soaking them overnight to find that they will never cook. Yes, dear reader, I have done this far too often!

Serving Suggestions

I love serving this mung bean salad with tandoori-style dishes; it makes a wonderful change from a kachumber salad. It's also a little heartier.

It's pictured above and below with some tandoori cod loin. However, it would work just as well with my tandoori (BBQ) chicken, whole tandoori fish, or my tandoori lamb chops. You could also go with my easy curried cod recipe.

It's also wonderful served with tikka dishes and a load of chapatis.

Naturally, I've got a load of tikka dishes for you to play around with! Everything from chicken tikka skewers, lamb tikka kebabs, salmon tikka and some paneer tikka kebabs for the vegetarian in your life.

If you are hunting for something vegan, how about these wonderful cauliflower pakora?

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/stovetop.
• 17-18cm (7") saucepan.
• 15cm (6") saucepan.
• Mixing & salad bowls.
• Fine mesh sieve.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Vegetable peeler.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, cups and spoons.