Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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 EventIt also goes to:
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.

24 comments:

  1. Looks perfect for winter. I never new to much causes pain thats a great info

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  2. Thanks Julie! Have not had a 'same pinch' since my university days! :-D!
    Nisha, I think it is because Mung Dal is 'cold' and this only has asafoetida to counter the side-effects.

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  3. Healthy and delicious soup..beautiful clicks..

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  4. Yum yum, nutritious soup prefect for this chilled weather,thanks for sending to CWS Shri..

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  5. looks delicious. I bet the root vegetables add a lot of thickness to the dal with all the starch. Must be quite filling by itself too as a soup, maybe.

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  6. I love such lentil soups and would love to try this one. May be with just turnips for a start.

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  7. Yes, the turnips were good. :-)

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  8. Delish dal soup with Veg.Yumm and healthy Tiffin Carrier recipes.Luv it.

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  9. J'essayerai bien ta recette. La soupe me semble délicieuse.
    Des photos magnifiques.
    A très bientôt

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  10. Just mouthwatering...looks so easy to prepare and delicious!

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  11. Woww.. mouth watering here .. very healthy and delicious recipe.. looks yummy !!

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  12. Thanks so much for linking your entry to my HCC event! :) Find your entry in the Roundup Part I , Part II or Part III

    Also, please do participate in my ongoing events:
    Jingle All The Way &
    Microwave Easy Cooking
    Thanks,
    Kavi (Edible Entertainment)

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  13. This looks so comforting and so delicious. I need to cook more with mung beans. ;-) Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays.

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  14. Thanks Kavi and Deb! Happy to take part in both events.

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  15. Comforting and delicious soup! Nice pictures

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  16. Yummy dal soup...perfect for winter...looks delicious.

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  17. It looks so healthy and delicious.

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