Mung bean mild curry

Mung bean mild curry

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) is dehulled and split into two haves. Split mung is available from most provision stores. In Asian cuisine whole mung bean is also used in sweet and savoury dishes. Mung bean is easier to cook than chick pea and pigeon pea. Hence its popularity in Asian cuisine.

                                Recipe summary
                                            For 
                               Mung bean mild curry

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

1 In a large pan or a wok add 2 cups dry roasted mung bean, 6 cups water, 150 grams chopped onion, 2  chopped green chili,  chopped 6 cloves garlic, 8 grams finely cut ginger, finely cut 10 curry leaves ½ tsp turmeric powder and bring to boil. 

Ingredients

2 When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until mung bean is soft.  

3 Add ½ cup coconut milk and 1 tsp salt. Simmer for 3 minutes, uncovered. 

Mung bean mild curry

4. Grind ½ tsp cumin and ½ tsp pepper coarsely in a mortar and pestle  or grinder 


5 Add to the mung bean in the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes and Take the pan off the heat.



6. To do tempering In a small pan add 

Tempering added to 
mung bean curry

1 tbsp oil, heat up and add  ½ tsp mustard seeds to splutter,and add cut dry chili and 50 grams onion till it is golden brown. Add 5 curry leaves and fry. 

7.Pour the tempering into the dal and cover. Tempering gives a nice aroma.


                       The mung bean mild curry is ready.
              

                        Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredient
Main
2 cups split mung bean (dried)

Others
150 grams chopped onion 
2  chopped green chili  
chopped 6 cloves garlic
 8 grams finely cut ginger
 finely cut 10 curry leaves
1 dry red chili
or uncut 3 dry chili.
1 tsp salt
6 cups water
Spices
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp pepper powder
½ cup coconut milk
6 cups water 

For tempering
½  tsp mustard seeds
50 grams onion, coarsely chopped
1 dry chili, cut into small pieces I used 3 dry chili
5 curry leaves
1 table spoon vegetable oil of your choice

Ingredients for Mung bean mild curry

preparation
It is not necessary to soak split mung beans. We need to dry roast it before cooking. Dry roasting brings out the flavour of this pulse. I normally dry roast it in the microwave oven for 3 minutes on high. It will take about 5 minutes to dry roast the mung bean in a pan or wok.

Method
In a large pan or a wok add mung bean, water, onion, green chili, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, and bring to the boil. 

Mung bean, onion, ginger, garlic,curry leaves and chili

Water is added

When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered as the foam rises and over flows . Simmer for 15 minutes or until mung bean is soft.

Final stage of simmering

 When you press a piece of mung bean between your thumb and forefinger, it should crumble. That means the mung been is cooked. 

Mung bean is cooked

Add coconut milk and salt. Simmer for 3 minutes, uncovered. 

Adding salt

Adding coconut milk

Grind cumin and pepper coarsely in a mortar and pestle  or grinder 
add to the mung bean in the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes and Take the pan off the heat.

Ground cumin and pepper are added

Stir well. Simmer for 2 minutes and Take the pan off the heat.

Final stage of the curry

How to  make tempering 

Now we are going to make the tempering. Tempering adds great aroma to the dish.

 In a small frying pan add vegetable oil and heat it. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds and let it splutters

Add onion and fry for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent.

Onion dry chili, curry leaves and mustard seeds

Add dry chili, and curry leaves and fry for another 3 minutes. 

Final stage of tempering

Take the contents of this frying pan and add to the cooked mung bean and cover. After a few minutes give a stir. Do not heat.

Tempering added to mung bean curry

In most of my recipes, I start off with a form of tempering and then add the main ingredient and continue to cook in the same pan. I cannot use that method here because we cannot stir-fry mung bean. Therefore I make the tempering separately and then add to the main ingredient.

Mung bean curry is ready.