Mashawa is Afghanistan’s answer to chili. This Afghan barley and mung bean stew is packed full with tomatoes, beans, spices, and chunks of savoury protein.
What You’ll Need
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Mashawa recipe:
Barley: Afghan mashawa is incomplete without barley. Use pearl barley for a shorter cook. If using pot barley, you’ll want to double the cooking time.
Beans: Mung beans are the big one here. Mung beans, including the mung bean cooking water, contribute to the signature flavour of mashawa. Besides mung beans, I recommend mixing in a few other varieties—kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, adzuki beans, etc.
Onion, Carrot, Garlic: The carrot is optional, but the onion and garlic are not!
Tomatoes & Tomato Paste: A bit of tomato adds a punch of umami to the stew.
Vegan Protein Chunks: Historically mashawa has been made with lamb or beef stew meat, but vegetarian versions are increasingly popular. I opted to add some soya chunks to my stew, which are similar to TVP but bigger and chewier. You can find them at Indian grocery stores. I’ve also tried adding vegan “mutton” chunks (the same stuff I used in my Vegetarian Kabuli Pulao recipe) which were delicious as usual. But feel free to leave these out if you don’t have them. Mashawa is just as hearty when made with only barley and beans.
Seasoning: Turmeric, black pepper, coriander, chili flakes, and salt.
Fresh Herbs: Traditionally, this Afghan barley stew is served with dried mint, fresh dill, and green onions.
Yogurt: Optional, but it’s also common to dollop some Homemade Vegan Yogurt on mashawa.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredient Substitutions
If you’re following a specific diet or need to be aware of allergies, here are a few ways you can modify this recipe:
- Gluten-free: Omit the barley (the only ingredient containing gluten) and substitute with sorghum or buckwheat instead.
- Oil-free: Simply skip the oil. I recommend adding some almond butter or cashew butter for richness.
- WFPB: By omitting the oil and soya chunks, this recipe will be fully whole foods plant based.
If you made this recipe with a successful substitution, please let me know! Post a comment describing what you did so I can add it to this section and help future readers. (Leave your name blank if you don’t want to be credited.)
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: If using dry beans, rinse the beans until the water runs clear, then cook for two hours or until tender and cooked through.
Step 2: Pour oil into a stock pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and saute until lightly browned.
Step 3: Separately chop the tomato. Add tomato and tomato paste to the pot. Cook for a few more minutes.
Step 4: Add the spices (turmeric, black pepper, coriander, salt, and chili flakes, if using).
Step 5: Add the soya chunks or vegan mutton if using.
Step 6: Pour in the cooked beans (along with the remaining cooking liquid). Add barley and vegetable stock.
Step 7: Cover and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook.
Step 8: Stir in mint, scallions, and dill. Serve with some dollops of Soy Yogurt if desired.
Meal Prep & Storage Tips
Fridge: Store mashawa in the fridge for up to five days.
Freezer: Freeze mashawa in an airtight container for up to three months.
What to Serve with Mashawa
More Vegetarian Recipes from Afghanistan
Recipe Card
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Mashawa (Afghan Barley Bean Stew)
Toggle Volume vs Weight Measurements
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 carrot *optional
- ½ head garlic 5 to 6 cloves
- 1 cup barley
- 2 cups dry mung beans, adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, or kidney beans use a mix of whatever beans you have
- 1 large tomato or 1/2 can diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- chili flakes to taste *optional
- 2 to 3 tsp salt
- 6 cups vegetable stock I used water + 2 tbsp no chicken better than bouillon
- 1 cup soya chunks or vegan mutton chunks *optional; see Notes
- scallions, dill, and dried mint for serving
- Vegan Yogurt for serving
Instructions
- If using dry beans (skip if your beans are already cooked): Rinse 2 cups dry mung beans, adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, or kidney beans until the water runs clear, then cook on low heat for 2 hours or until tender. Add more water if they look too dry at any point. Set aside.
- Finely dice 1 large onion, 1 carrot and 1/2 head garlic. To save time, you can also throw them in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times.
- Pour 1/4 cup cooking oil into a stock pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic and sauté until lightly browned.
- Roughly chop 1 large tomato or 1/2 can diced tomatoes. Add tomato and 2 tbsp tomato paste to the pot and cook for a few minutes.
- Sprinkle in 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 2 tsp ground coriander, chili flakes (if using), and 2 to 3 tsp salt.
- Pour in 1 cup soya chunks or vegan mutton chunks (if using), 1 cup barley, the cooked beans (along with all the remaining bean cooking water), and 6 cups vegetable stock.
- Cover and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let cook for 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in scallions, dill, and dried mint. Top with Vegan Yogurt (if using).
This Mashawa recipe is absolutely brilliant! I love how its packed with flavor and easy to customize. I even added some extra vegan mutton chunks because, well, why not? Cant wait to try the oil-free version with almond butter. Thanks for sharing this delicious Afghan delight!
No problem, Vòng!