Mung Beans and Root Vegetables Soup: Mung Dal, Orissa

Split Skinless Mung Beans

Mung Beans and Root Vegetables Dal with a tempering of Cummin Seeds and Asafoetida powder.

This dish is East Indian, specifically from the state of Orissa and the recipe, courtesy our  friend and neighbour, Ms. P. This stew uses  skinless, split moong beans/mung beans, 'white' winter vegetables like radishes, turnips, potatoes and colocassia/chembu/arbi/arvi.  It does not use any spicing except for the final tempering with cummin seeds and asafoetida in Clarified Butter/Ghee. Perfect comfort soup/stew.


This combines winter vegetables in season, gives you control in the use of oil/butter [ :-)], is a hearty dish vegetarian dal with rice  and a touch of spicy pickle. Mung/Moong beans, according to ayurveda is 'cooling ' for the body. Traditionally mung/moong beans were used during the summer months. One drawback is that a small quantity goes along way. Too much causes a stomach ache.

This goes to Priya's Cooking With Seeds-Mung Beans Event. It also goes to:

• Deb's Souper Sunday's
• Kavi's, Healthy Cooking Challenge started by Smita
• Pari's 'Only Curries' event  guest hosted by Kamalika

Mung Dal with Winter Vegetables served with Chena-Payaru Upperi/ Elephant Yams and Chinese Long Beans

Serves Two-Three

Ingredients

Split Mung Beans, skinless-1/4 Cup

1/4 Cup of radishes cut into chunks

1/4 cup of Chembu/Arvi/Arbi/Colocassia
1/4 Cup of turnip chunks
[ you could also add potato chunks]

Salt
Optional: 1/4 tsp white pepper

For the Tempering

2tbsps of clarified butter/ghee

1 tsp of cummin seeds

2 pinches of asafoetida powder

Method

Wash and rinse the moong dal

Pressure cook with double the amount of water/Cook with 4 Cups of water 

Cook the root vegetables separately with salt

Once the dal is cooked, add the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes
Optional: Use 1/4 tsp or 1/2 tsp of white pepper for heat

Tadka/Tempering

Heat 2 tbps of ghee

Add the cummin seeds and asafoetida

Pour over the dal.