Whole mung - a wholesome food
Mung beans are extremely healthy. An excellent food for those trying to lose weight, Mung is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc, and a very good source of Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Copper and Manganese.
Here's a spicy mung recipe that goes well with any kind of bread or rice; or else you can have it just by itself...
Here's a spicy mung recipe that goes well with any kind of bread or rice; or else you can have it just by itself...
Mung adraki
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- Whole mung beans - 1 cup
- Water - 3-4 cups
- Ginger - 2" piece (cut into thin shreds)
- Garlic - 3-4 cloves (finely chopped)
- Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
- Green chillies - 2 (finely chopped) (optional)
- Oil/ghee - 2 tbsp
- Dried red chillies - 2 (optional)
- Asofoetida - 1/8th tsp
- Cumin - 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/4th tsp
- Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
- red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - to taste
Instructions
Wash mung beans thoroughly. Put them in a pressure cooker.
Add 3 cups of water, salt to taste and turmeric powder.
Pressure cook till one whistle.
Let the cooker cool of on its own.
When you open the cooker, the mung beans should be soft but should retain their shape. They should not get mushy.
If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak mung for about 4 hrs.
Cook them in a covered pan with 3-4 cups of water until they are soft.
you might need to add more water while cooking in a pan.
Preparing the tempering:
Heat 2 tbsp oil/ghee in a large pan.
When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds.
As cumin seeds crackle, add dried red chillies and asofoetida.
Add chopped onion, garlic and shredded ginger.
Add chopped green chillies.
Add chili powder and coriander powder.
Cook till onions are slightly golden.
The tempering is ready.
Now pour boiled mung over it and let it simmer on low to medium flame for about 20 minutes.
Adjust the consistency by adding more water if you like it thinner.
Add 3 cups of water, salt to taste and turmeric powder.
Pressure cook till one whistle.
Let the cooker cool of on its own.
When you open the cooker, the mung beans should be soft but should retain their shape. They should not get mushy.
If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak mung for about 4 hrs.
Cook them in a covered pan with 3-4 cups of water until they are soft.
you might need to add more water while cooking in a pan.
Preparing the tempering:
Heat 2 tbsp oil/ghee in a large pan.
When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds.
As cumin seeds crackle, add dried red chillies and asofoetida.
Add chopped onion, garlic and shredded ginger.
Add chopped green chillies.
Add chili powder and coriander powder.
Cook till onions are slightly golden.
The tempering is ready.
Now pour boiled mung over it and let it simmer on low to medium flame for about 20 minutes.
Adjust the consistency by adding more water if you like it thinner.
Here's a different way out
Use boiled mung as a stuffing!
Once your mung are boiled as suggested above, you can use them without the tempering to make an excellent sandwich stuffing/filling. Here's how you can do it.Drain out all the water from boiled mung. (And yes, this water or mung stock is super nutritious. Add a pinch of black pepper and a health drink is ready!)
Add some chopped garlic and ginger to boiled mung. You can also add some chopped onions to it.
Add half a teaspoon each of garam masala, coriander powder and cumin powder. Remember we had added salt while boiling. Still you can add some more if required.
Mix everything well and use it as a stuffing for sandwich or pitta.
The pungent garlic with its unique flavour and aroma is important in many cuisines around the world. It is indeed interesting to note that this magic ingredient which adds a delicious sharpness to your food has amazing health benefits!
Once you have stuffed the mushrooms with cottage cheese stuffing (as per the recipe above), top them generously with grated mozzarella.
Sesame seeds impart a delicately nutty flavour and add a subtle crunch to your preparation. They are packed with health too. What else do your taste buds need!! Taste, health, appeal....all in one.