An easy vegan tahini bread with mung beans and turmeric that's perfect for dinner or a post-workout meal.
It all started on a warm December evening. I was eating the last thick slice of my buckwheat bread, lightly toasted and topped with thin slices of perfectly ripe avocado. (You'll find the buckwheat bread recipe here.)
Then I realized I hadn't soaked any buckwheat for the next loaf. I headed to the kitchen, to the shelf of jars where I keep all my seeds, beans, and nuts. While scrolling through Instagram, I quickly poured a cup of buckwheat into a deep bowl and added 3 cups of cold water. When I came back a few hours later, I noticed one small problem: that wasn't buckwheat. It was mung beans.
"No big deal," I told myself. "Let's roll with it." I'd make mung bean bread and see what happened.
Attempt one: disaster. Not bread. Not even close. If anything, it belonged in the dirty-sock category.
Attempt two: there's hope! You actually can bake with these things.
Attempt three: these sneaky little mung beans were giving me a run for my money.
By attempt four, I was ready to give up.
And attempt five: success!
Yep, five tries. That's what it took for this vegan tahini bread to come together as a recipe I could share and feel genuinely good about.
The tahini holds the blended beans together, and the turmeric gives the loaf a gorgeous yellow color.
Nutrition per slice (one loaf makes about 20 slices):
71 calories, 3.8 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 3 g fat, 1 mg iron
Some nutrition insights from Noam Bachar (an Israeli nutrition adviser and fitness instructor):
- Mung beans (MUNG) are a familiar ingredient in Asian cooking, appearing in everything from stews to desserts and baked goods. Nutritionally, they're similar to their fellow legumes: rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and iron. That makes them a great addition to a heart-healthy way of eating.
One big advantage of mung beans is that they soften quickly, so they don't need an overnight soak before cooking. They're an excellent plant-based protein option for vegetarians and vegans.
Tahini: a wonderful source of calcium and iron. But you probably knew that already.
Turmeric: this spice has a long history of medicinal use, especially in Chinese and Indian traditions. Its active compounds are called curcuminoids. One of its best-known potential benefits is reducing inflammation in the body. Alternative medicine has embraced turmeric more enthusiastically than conventional medicine, where evidence for its medicinal uses remains limited. As a spice in this loaf, it certainly brings plenty of color to the table.:)
Vegan Tahini Bread with Mung Beans and Turmeric
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung beans dried, uncooked
- 3 cups water
- 6 tablespoons tahini, straight from the jar
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric measured level
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
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Rinse the mung beans thoroughly in a strainer under plenty of running water.
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Place the mung beans in a deep bowl with the 3 cups of water and soak for at least 6 hours. The beans should absorb some water and swell slightly.
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Blend the beans with their soaking water until completely smooth, with foam forming around the edges. There shouldn't be any pieces of unblended beans left. Add the sugar and mix well.
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Let the mixture ferment on the counter for about 8 hours. If the room is very warm, refrigerate it for about 12 hours instead.
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Add the 6 tablespoons of tahini, a level 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, and the salt. Mix well.
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Pour the batter into a loaf pan.
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Bake at 170°C (340°F) for about 1 1/2 hours.
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Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.
A Few Notes
- Optional add-ins: nuts, pumpkin seeds, or cranberries for extra color and nutrition.
- You can skip the fermentation step by adding half a packet of baking powder.
