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Nepalese

Kwati

Vegetarian

क्वाँटी · kwati

A hearty Nepali soup of several sprouted beans and lentils, tempered with ajwain and cooked with tomato, ginger and garlic. Traditionally eaten at Janai Purnima.

Kwati is a Nepalese soup, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with mung beans and ajwain. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of kwati mixed sprouted bean soup with chopsticks
Photo: Karrattul / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
200

Plus 1 day soaking and 2–3 days sprouting the beans.

Ingredients

6 servings

Beans (soaked and sprouted)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the beans together overnight, drain, then keep them covered in a damp cloth in a warm place, rinsing daily, until short sprouts appear (2–3 days).

    • 5 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab) and fry the ajwain (opens in a new tab) and bay leaves (opens in a new tab) until they crackle. Add the onion (opens in a new tab) and cook until golden, then the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and ground spices, and cook to a paste.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the sprouted beans and fry for a few minutes, then pour in the water and salt. Pressure-cook until all the beans are soft.

    • 30 min
    • medium-low heat

    In a normal pot this takes about 1½ hours.

  4. Step 4

    Simmer uncovered for a few minutes to thicken slightly, mashing a few beans. Stir in the timur (opens in a new tab) and cilantro (opens in a new tab).

    • 8 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Always boil kidney-type beans and chickpeas until fully soft.

About this dish

Origin
Nepal · Commonly attributedOf Newar origin and now made across Nepal for Janai Purnima (Kwati Purnima).More food from Nepal
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Pressure-cooked, Simmered
Taste
earthy, savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-fibre
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre · Low-fat · Carb-conscious
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Mung beans · Ajwain · Dried chickpeas · Black-eyed peas (dried) · Black gram (urad dal) · Ghee
Techniques
Simmering · Pressure cooking · Tadka (tempering)

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

200 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 361 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 56%
  • Fat 25%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy200 kcal55 kcal
Protein9.9 g2.7 g
Carbohydrate29.1 g8 g
Net carbohydrate22.4 g6.2 g
Sugars4.5 g1.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.6 g1.8 g
Fat5.8 g1.6 g
Saturated fat3 g0.8 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol11 mg3 mg
Sodium601 mg166 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
567 mg
Calcium
89 mg
Iron
3.3 mg
Magnesium
83 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
65 µg
Vitamin C
10 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
218 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sichuan peppercorns.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): ajwain.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Any mix of beans works — field peas, kidney beans, soybeans and fava beans are all traditional.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the sprouts grow too long — short sprouts (about 0.5 cm) taste best.

Serve with

  • Serve as a soup, or ladled over rice with a pickle.

Food safety

  • Rinse sprouting beans twice a day and discard any that smell sour or slimy; always cook sprouts thoroughly.
  • Boil chickpeas and other large beans until fully soft before serving.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat with a splash of water until boiling.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 2

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