Green mung beans is the main ingredient for spicy fragrant Moong Dal , but can also be sprouted to make a Superfood. I will show you how to make both.
Sprouts were very popular in the 1970s, yep, giving my age away ;)
Everyone’s window sills became mini sprout gardens, and the kids loved helping with the process and seeing them grow day by day. Besides being super healthy, they’re delicious in salads, stir fries or simply eaten as a snack and have an awesome nutty flavour.
The benefits of this simple home-grown Superfood:
Sprouts produce live enzymes, are very high in protein and fiber, contain many vitamins as well as minerals, and have many health benefits; I've highlighted a couple below:
Excellent for diabetics as it is a low Glycemic Index food, plus the fiber and protein helps with regulating blood sugar.
Contains anti-aging properties that stimulates production of collagen, elastin and Hyaluronic Acid, keeping skin young and healthy.
Anti-inflammatory.
Digestion - Relieves constipation, Gluten free.
Potent antioxidant.
I will show you how easy and inexpensive it is to grow your own sprouts, no need for any special equipment, and it only took 5 days to yield a bottle full of delicious home-grown sprouts.
Equipment: Glass bottle, netting or muslin cloth to cover the top, elastic band to hold the netting, approximately 1/4 cup of green mung beans, water
Day 1 - Place mung beans in glass bottle and cover with water and netting/ muslin cloth.
Will these few mung beans fill this bottle?
Day 2 - Drain the beans through cloth, shake to get all beans to bottom and leave to stand.
Rinse with clean water in the evening and drain again.
Day 2 - beans are a little swollen and the outer skins are splitting open.
Repeat this process every morning and evening, and see how the beans start sprouting right before your eyes.
Day 3 - Wow, bottle is starting to fill up with weird looking shapes, the sprouts are getting bigger every day :)
Day 4 (morning)
Day 5 (evening) Amazing how this tiny bean has grown, and we now have a full bottle of sprouts :)
Now onto cooking with dry mung beans, and I will tell you how to make a delicious thick and fragrant curried soup, something my lovely Gujarati friend Jashiela taught me :) Moong Dal is the staple food of the mainly vegetarian population of this Westernmost part of India. I was told that they eat this for breakfast, lunch or supper!
FRAGRANT MOONG DAL
Place 1 cup of green Mung Beans into a deep saucepan, rinse in water a couple of times.
Cover with boiling water and soak for about 2 hours.
Boil over a medium heat for about 1 hour, topping up with water when required and stirring from time to time. Mixture looks like a thick soup.
In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
When seeds change colour, add 1 teaspoon grated ginger plus 1 teaspoon garlic, cook about 1 min
Add 1 diced onion and fry till light brown
Add 1 cup diced tomatoes plus 1 medium green chilli (deseeded) and cook till soft.
Add the following dry spices and cook about 2 minutes: 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric, 2 teaspoons Coriander Powder, 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala, 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida/ Hing (optional)
Add the cooked Mung Beans plus the remaining water and cook for 3 min
Lastly add 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice and cook about 5 min.
Garnish with fresh Coriander leaves (Dhania) (I changed the recipe slightly and also added two stalks of the curry leaf tree). Serve this deliciously fragrant Moong Dal with Basmati Rice or Roti (Indian flatbread) and a Cucumber & Yogurt Salad.
