Spicy Mung Bean Curry

I had a hankering for some homemade Indian food this week, so have been busy cooking up several dishes.

I started with a recipe featuring Mung Beans, only because I've never cooked with this type of bean before.

Spicy Mung Bean Curry
Indian Vegetarian Cooking at Your House

1 c green mung beans

1 c water
1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp mix of cumin, mustard and sesame seeds
2 1/2 T onion, chopped
1 T tomato, chopped
pinch fresh jalapeno, chopped
pinch fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 c canned crushed tomatoes
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 T cumin (ground)
1 1/2 -2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp Pav Bahji masala (a specialty spice I omitted for lack of having it)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne

Combine cup of beans with cup of water and cook 10 minutes, until soft. (Note -- 10 minutes was not enough for me. Not nearly enough. I cooked the entire dish as described and found that the beans didn't really soften until the dish was reheated in the microwave for 2 minutes. Any reader tips on mung beans are very welcomed.) Set beans aside in their cooking water.

In another saucepan, heat the oil. Add seed mixture.

When seeds pop, add rest of the ingredients, including mung beans and their cooking water. Heat through. Add more water if necessary, but the consistency should be a bit thick.

Top with cilantro leaves and serve with rice and/or pita. Freezes well.

Comments

SherylS said…

This sounds delicious! Before today I had never even heard of mung beans. I'm going to see if any of my local stores carry them so I can give this a shot.

May 27, 2014 at 8:16 PM

Curried Chicken Soup

I made this soup so often in the 1990s, but frankly had forgotten about it. Flipping through this cookbook, I found this recipe and was flooded with memories. When I was in grad school, this soup was my "feeling decadent" food and reminded me of something people might eat after hitting the slopes -- a thing I have never done. A few decades long, and with a lot more experience with cooking, I realize that this is basically a chicken curry with a thin sauce and the rice already in the meal -- but don't let that in any way discourage you! It's delicious as is and is a wonderful take on what is otherwise chicken and rice soup. I have become a fan of using rotisserie chickens, especially during the pandemic. They are so cheap, and I can use the meat in a soup like this on the day-of grocery shopping, and, crunch the bones down for the freezer for making stock in the future. Of course, this soup can be made with a fresh chicken, but I have modified the recipe bel...

Tortellini with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

I've been making this dish for guests for years. This is, sadly, part two of the dinner-with-no-photographs. I'm sure I'll be making this again soon, at which point I'll update this post with pics. Tortellini with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce The Silver Palate Cookbook 1 1.2 c dry white vermouth 2 1/4 c heavy cream pepper pinch freshly ground nutmeg 2 T salt 1 1/2 lb tortellini 1/2 lb Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (do not skimp on quality) 1 1/2 T Parmesan, grated Bring vermouth to a boil in a small heavy saucepan and reduce by half. Add heavy cream. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Season to taste with pepper and nutmeg. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until reduced by one-third. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook tortellini until tender. Drain pasta and return to warm pot. Remove cream sauce from the heat. Stir in the cheeses. Pour sauce over the tortellini. Set over medium heat and cook gently, stirring constantly, for 5-8 minutes, o...

Spicy Bulgarian Tomato Dumpling Soup - Domatene Supa

This was very very good. The soup itself was flavorful and would have been enough as a dinner soup. But adding the dumplings converted this soup into an entree. The couscous addition in the batter makes the dumplings pretty foolproof -- no real concern that they'll still be raw because most of the bulk is couscous, which was already cooked. I opted to cook only enough dumplings as we needed that night. We will have to make future dumplings "on demand" as we eat this as leftovers. Spicy Bulgarian Tomato Dumpling Soup - Domatene Supa Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant Soup 1 onion , diced 4 cloves garlic , minced 3 T olive oil 6 c tomatoes , chopped (fresh or canned and drained) 2 tsp chili powder 2 T flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 4 c stock Dumplings 2 T butter , room temperature 2 eggs , separated 1/4 c couscous 1/4 c boiling water 3/4 c flour 1/4 tsp salt 2 T dill weed , fresh (or 1 tsp dried) 1/3 c milk or stock In medium pot, sa...

Donut Army

Search This Blog