Kwati (soup)

Kwāti (Nepal Bhasa: क्वाती (where क्वा= hot and ती = soup); Nepali: क्वाती) is a mixed soup of nine types of sprouted beans. It is a traditional Newari dish consumed on the festival of Guni Punhi, the full moon day of Gunlā which is the tenth month in the Nepal Era lunar calendar. Kwāti is eaten as a delicacy and for its health benefits and ritual significance.[1][2] Kwati is known to be a healthy food. They say that it cures cold, cough and is one of the best foods for women in their maternity leave. Since it contains varieties of beans, this recipe is loaded with proteins and thus helps weak/sick people to regain their energy.[3]

Kwati
A bowl of kwati
Alternative names(Nepali: क्वाती)
Coursemixed soup
Main ingredientsblack gram, green gram, chickpea, field bean, soybean, field pea, garden pea, cowpea and rice bean
Nine types of beans are used to make kwāti.

The feast day coincides with Shravan Poornima of the month of Shravan in the Hindu lunisolar calendar which is celebrated as Janāi Purnimā (Raksha Bandhan), the festival of the sacred thread. The festival occurs in August.[4][5]

Production
Ingredient of Kwati
Kwati

Nine varieties of beans are used to make kwāti. The most commonly used ingredients are black gram, green gram, chickpea, field bean, soybean, field pea, garden pea, cowpea and rice bean.

The beans are soaked in water for three to four days until they have sprouted. They are boiled with various spices to make a thick soup. Ajwain seeds are tempered in oil and added to it as the special seasoning. Flatbread cut into one-and-a-half-inch squares can be boiled with the kwāti for variety.[6][7]

See also

References
  1. Vaidya, Tulasī Rāma; Mānandhara, Triratna; Joshi, Shankar Lal (1993). Social History of Nepal. Anmol Publications. p. 148. ISBN 9788170417996.
  2. "Kwati". Foods of Social and Ritual Significance. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  3. Kasajoo, Bhawana (2013-08-26). "Nepali Tummy!!: Kwati (Nepali Beans/Himalayan Soup)!!". Nepali Tummy!!. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  4. "Janai Purnima festival today". The Rising Nepal. Kathmandu. 16 August 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  5. "Janai Purnima‚ festival of sacred thread‚ today". The Himalayan Times. Kathmandu. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  6. Shrestha, Rukmini (2008). Nasā Twansā Wāsa Nan Kha [Food and Drinks Are Also Medicines] (in Newari). Kathmandu: Rukmini Shrestha. p. 34.
  7. Anderson, Mary M. (1971). The Festivals of Nepal. Allen and Unwin. p. 98. ISBN 9780043940013.
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