How to Make Kwati Soup
Learn how to make Kwati Soup with this recipe I’ve learnt from my Nepali friends – It’s full of flavours and is a popular Newari dish in the colder months!
What is Kwati Soup?
The Kwati soup is a Newari dish, made of 9 different types of beans. ‘Kwa’ means ‘hot’ and ‘ti’ means ‘soup’, so together ‘kwati’ means ‘hot soup’.
It is usually consumed on the day of the Janai Purnima, a Nepali festival, that falls at the end of August.
Janai Purnima celebrates the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the winter season. There is a belief that if you eat kwati soup on this day then you will get rid of various diseases related to digestion.
Here is how to make Kwati Soup!
What are the Kwati Beans?
The Kwati beans include 9 different type of beans, including: red kidney beans, soya beans, chickpeas and white beans.
The beans include a lot of protein, thus this soup is great in the winter or when you have a cold. Due to its high protein, it is a soup that will help sick and weak people to regain their energy.
Tips for Preparing the Kwati Soup
- Soaking the beans: It is best if you soak the beans overnight so that they will soften sooner as you boil them. Sometimes, it is also a tradition to soak the beans until they start to sprout, however, I have not yet tried that option yet.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is what you will need to make Kwati Soup:
- 1 1/4 cup mixed beans (kwati)
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee (can be substituted by olive oil)
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 2-3 tbsp green coriander (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp carom seeds
- 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
- salt (to taste)
How to Make Kwati Soup
Step 1. Soak the mixed beans (kwati) in water for one day.
Step 2. Boil the kwati beans until it becomes soft (about 1.5 hours). (note: some of the beans are quiet big so it takes longer for them to be cooked)
Step 3. Once the beans are soft, heat the oil in another pan and crackle the carom seeds until they turn black.
Step 4. Add the boiled kwati beans and turmeric powder into the pan with the carom seeds and stir together for 4-5 minutes.
Step 5. After stirring for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and ginger paste, salt, cumin and red chilli powder and stir them together.
Step 6. Then, add 3 cups of water to the kwati mix and cook again for 15 minutes.
Step 7. Lastly, add the butter/ghee and coriander into the mix and then the kwati soup is ready.
How to Store the Kwati Soup?
It is best to store the kwati soup in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
Can You Freeze the Kwati Soup?
Yes! You can freeze the kwati soup up to 2-3 months.
Kwati Soup Recipe
How to Make Kwati Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup mixed beans (kwati)
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee (can be substituted by olive oil)
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 2-3 tbsp green coriander (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp carom seeds
- 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Soak the mixed beans (kwati) in water for one day.
- Boil the kwati beans until it becomes soft (about 1.5 hours). (note: some of the beans are quiet big so it takes longer for them to be cooked)
- Once the beans are soft, heat the oil in another pan and crackle the carom seeds until they turn black.
- Add the boiled kwati beans and turmeric powder into the pan with the carom seeds and stir together for 4-5 minutes.
- After stirring for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and ginger paste, salt, cumin and red chilli powder and stir them together.
- Then add 3 cups of water to the kwati mix and cook again for 15 minutes.
- Lastly, add the butter/ghee and coriander into the mix and then the kwati soup is ready.
Cooking Classes in Kathmandu
Want to learn how to make Nepali dishes in Kathmandu from experts? There are many cooking schools in Kathmandu where you can learn some of the traditional Nepali dishes. Here I have collected some of the best rated cooking classes:
1. Cooking Class with Esther
- Price: USD 25
- Duration: 3 hours
- Dishes: Momo, dal bhat, thupka
- Sign Up: AirBnB Experience
This is the cooking class I did and so I can personally recommend this one. I even got my brother to take a cooking class here when he came to visit me and he really loved it.
Esther is really cool and easy going and apart from teaching you how to cook Nepali dishes, she also explains a lot about Nepali culture.
The cooking classes take place in Patan near the Patan Durbar Square, so if you sign up for a morning cooking session, you have the rest of the day to explore Patan. At the end of the cooking class, you get to eat as much food as you can and the recipes are also sent to you.
2. Nepal Cooking School
- Dishes: momo, dal bhat, curry
- Sign Up: Nepal Cooking School
The Nepali Cooking School is located in Paknajol (right next to Thamel) and you can choose between 3 different menus of what you’d like to cook.
FAQs: Kwati Soup
What are kwati beans?
The Kwati beans are a mix of 9 different type of beans, including: red kidney beans, soya beans, chickpeas and white beans.
What is kwati called in English?
Translated to English, ‘kwa’ means ‘hot’ and ‘ti’ means ‘soup’, so together ‘kwati’ means ‘hot soup’.
Is Kwati a Nepali soup?
Yes, Kwati is a soup popularly made in Nepal. It is a Newari dish and it is usually consumed on the day of the Janai Purnima, a Nepali festival, that falls at the end of August.
What is the national dish of Nepal?
The national dish of Nepal is dal bhat. Dal bhat is the most popular Nepali dish as is eaten twice a day in most households.
It is made of rice, lentils, vegetable curry and meat. You can also have it in vegetarian, without meat.
What is typical Nepalese food?
Typical Nepalese food is dal bhat and momos. Dal bhat is eaten in most households twice a day, but if you ask any Nepali what their favourite dish is, they will all say momos.
Momos are like steamed dumplings and come in vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Buffalo meat is the most popular meat in Nepal and for the non-veg momo you have usually have options for buff or chicken.
What are the 9 beans in kwati?
The 9 beans in kwati are chickpeas, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, mung bean, green bean, black bean, white beans, and soya bean.
Why do we eat Kwati?
Kwati soup is full of nutrients and proteins that provide you with a lot of energy. It is also very healthy and helps the digestive system.
In Nepal, it is mostly eaten after the monsoon season is over and the weather starts to turn cold.
What is the historical significance of kwati?
The historical significance of the kwati soup is that it is usually eaten when the weather starts to turn cold at the end of monsoon. The farmers get tired of working on their fields and when they return home, the kwati soup provides a nutritious meal.
Conclusion
The Kwati soup is a Newari dish, made of 9 different types of beans. ‘Kwa’ means ‘hot’ and ‘ti’ means ‘soup’, so together ‘kwati’ means ‘hot soup’.
It is usually consumed on the day of the Janai Purnima, a Nepali festival, that falls at the end of August.
The Kwati beans include 9 different type of beans, including: red kidney beans, soya beans, chickpeas and white beans.
The beans include a lot of protein, thus this soup is great in the winter or when you have a cold. Due to its high protein, it is a soup that will help sick and weak people to regain their energy.
