Mung Bean Coconut Soup

While playing on Pinterest I found this beautiful recipe for Green Lentil Soup and used it as a base for this Mung Bean Soup.  I used more Indian spices and think of my soup as an Indian version of a French recipe.  I would normally do the spices in the beginning, but do agree with this recipe that by adding the spices in separate after the soup has cooked awhile gives it lots of flavor.  I also used canned coconut cream instead of milk (because I ran out and that's all the store was carrying on a Sunday morning) and that made the soup wonderfully rich and creamy.

6 cups Vegetable Stock
1 1/2 cups Sprouted Mung Beans
Ghee
1/2 Onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon each of cumin seed, cumin powder, turmeric, salt and pepper
2 Garlic Cloves
Can of Coconut Cream or Coconut Milk
2 hands full of Spinach

In a pot bring to boil the stock and beans, if you have sprouted the beans it only needs to cook a little while, but if you are using dry beans you must first cook them 35-45 minutes to soften them.  Once you've got the broth and beans simmering (or after awhile if you are making dry beans) in a separate pan heat a tablespoon of Ghee or some other type of oil and add your mustard seed until they begin to pop.  Then add the onions and after a minute the rest of your spices and sauté, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.  Add your garlic, minced or pressed, and continue to sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally until cartelized, about ten minutes.  Add this onion mixture to the soup as well as the can of coconut and simmer 5 minutes.  Add the spinach just before serving and season with salt and pepper to taste.

I'll post a photo ASAP.