Quati is a combination of various types of sprouted beans mixed together and made into a soup. It is specially made on the festival of Janai Purnima, also known as Quati Purnima in Nepali and Quati Punhi in Newari. This highly nutritious bean soup is served usually with rice on this day and the grocery stores are adorned with it weeks prior to the festival.

The raw combination of the quati is available in Ason market or supermarkets around Kathmandu. Most of the people in Terai region prepare vegetarian quati while the people living in Kathmandu, especially the people of Newari culture, make lamb quati. Here is a method to prepare lamb quati in your kitchen,   however, before cooking quati, you need to soak the beans overnight for a day, then drain the water out of it and tie it into a bundle of white thin cloth and leave it to grow sprout. It is considered to be ready to cook when the beans have a day or two long sprouts.

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed beans (kidney beans, black-eyed beans, chickpeas, soya beans, mung beans, green beans, black beans, white beans, red beans)

1 lb lamb meat (you could also use other meats if you want) cut into small pieces

½ tsp jwano (thyme seeds)

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

3 minced fresh red chilies

½ tsp turmeric

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped tomato

4 cups broth or water

3 tbsp cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro for garnish

Procedure:

First of all, heat a saucepan and add oil to it. Then, fry jwano, fennel seeds and mustard seeds until they turn light brown. Now, add meat pieces and fry it until it turns brown. Then, add three cups of sprouted beans and fry for about two minutes. Add chopped onion, chilies, curry powder, garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt and pepper and fry the onions until they turn light brown. Now, add tomatoes and broth to the beans’ mixture and season with salt and pepper. Boil it and let it simmer on low heat until the meat and sprouts are tender and also the desired consistency of the soup is gained. When done, garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve it hot with steamed rice.