Kwāti (

Nepal Bhasa Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surro ...

: (where (kwa) = hot and (ti) = soup); ne, क्वाँटी; ) 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 Gunlā (Nepal Bhasa: गुंला) (also spelt Gumlā) is the tenth month in the Nepal Sambat lunar calendar, the national lunar calendar of Nepal. It corresponds to August of the Gregorian Calendar. Gunla is a holy month for Newar Buddhists ...

which is the tenth month in the

Nepal Era Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (Nepal Bhasa: , Nepali: ) is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newari people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 ...

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases (synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, the Gre ...

. It is also known and widely consumed as ''Gedagudi'' in the Mithila Region of Nepal, historically aligned down to Kingdom of

Nepali people Nepalis (English: Nepalese ; ne, नेपाली) are the citizens of Nepal under the provisions of Nepali nationality law. The country is home to people of many different national origins who are the descendants of immigrants from India, K ...

Consumption

Kwāti is eaten as a delicacy and for its health benefits and ritual significance. Kwati is known to be a healthy food. It is said to cure colds and coughs, and be particularly good for pregnant women. Since it contains varieties of beans, this recipe is loaded with proteins and thus helps weak/sick people to regain their energy. The feast day coincides with Shravan Poornima of the month of

Shravan Shravana Kumara () is a character mentioned in the ancient Hindu text ''Ramayana.'' He is best known for his filial piety towards his parents. He was killed accidentally by Prince Dasharatha. Life Shravana Kumara's parents, Shantanu and Gyanvan ...

in the Hindu lunisolar calendar which is celebrated as Janāi Purnimā (

Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hin ...

), the festival of the sacred thread. The festival occurs in August.

Production

Nine varieties of beans are used to make kwāti. The most commonly used ingredients are

black gram ''Vigna mungo'', also known as black gram, urad bean, urid bean, mash kalai, uzhunnu parippu, ulundu paruppu, minapa pappu, uddu, or black matpe, is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative, the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the ...

green gram The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...

chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high ...

, field bean,

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

, field pea,

garden pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

cowpea The cowpea (''Vigna unguiculata'') is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus ''Vigna''. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few input ...

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 Ajwain, ajowan (), or ''Trachyspermum ammi''—also known as ajowancaraway, omam (in Tamil), thymol seeds, bishop's weed, or carom—is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Both the leaves and the seed‑like fruit (often mistakenly called se ...

seeds are tempered in oil and added to it as the special seasoning.

Flatbread A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread. Flatbreads ran ...

cut into one-and-a-half-inch squares can be boiled with the kwāti for variety.

Gallery

File:Ingredient of Kwati.jpg, alt=Ingredients of Kwati, Ingredients of Kwati File:Mixed bean kwati.jpg, alt=Nine types of beans and legumes used in kwati, Nine types of beans and legumes used in kwati File:Kwati 01.jpg, Kwati sprouts File:Buba kwati.jpg, Kwati soup

References

{{Soups Newari cuisine Bean soups Legume dishes

Consumption

Production

Gallery

See also

References