Mung Dal

This recipe for mung dal is adapted from Julie Sanhi’s Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. Similar to dal made of red lentils, this is kind of a cross between soup, stew, and sauce, and is good scooped up with fresh flatbread.

Serves: 4 to 6

1 cup mung beans, rinsed and sorted
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons safflower or olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 or 2 green chilies, mild or hot, seeded and minced
3 to 4 tablespoons minced cilantro
Salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, cook the mung beans in gently simmering water until soft, about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add to the mung beans and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot as a side dish with vegetable curries or grain dishes.

Variation: To add more substance, add a scrubbed or peeled and diced potato or sweet potato, and/or bite-sized pieces of cauliflower to the mung beans about halfway through their cooking time. If you do, add more water as needed and use a small soup pot rather than a saucepan.