Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Mung Bean Soup -- Moong Dal Ayurveda way





Mung Bean is BIG in Ayurveda. As I read through I see whole green mung(moong) dal referred to having magical and powerful effects. It seems to be as magical as the magical bean of Jack and the Bean Stalk.

"Mung bean soup pacifies all three doshas and is nutritious yet easy to digest. Mung Bean Soup recipe is used to clear even the most chronic, troublesome digestive issues and used to enhance overall health and vitality."

Really ??? You say to yourself. Those tiny shiny green beans and they want you to make a soup of it, a dal actually, and that dal is supposed to get rid of the toxins in your body ??? Whoa, and you fall right into it and before you know you have this big pot of green moong dal bubbling on the stove and you are having a bowl full of it everyday. It does not exactly detox if you follow it up with cut mirchi bhaji and samosas with your afternoon chai but what the...





Actually the green mung(moong) dal is pretty delicious. Made the Ayurvedic way without the onions and garlic, makes it not rich but very tasty. I deviated from the recipe a little and followed my Mom's way,added vegetables like cauliflower and carrots. I think greens like spinach would be a very good idea too.

The split and hulled moong dal, which is the yellow moong dal has equal magical properties and you can use that instead of whole green mung beans. The yellow moong dal cooks faster and is also easier to digest.

When you are making the mung bean soup and you want to follow the Ayurveda detox regime you need to determine which category you fall in. Depending on the dosha you have you have to use different spices. The recipe I have here is loosely based on Kapha Balancing Mung Bean Soup. I have used whole green mung and also the pressure cooker. You can use yellow moong and do it in a regular pot.


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Green Mung Bean Soup




Wash and soak 1 cup of whole green moong beans for couple of hours or overnight. You can skip the soaking if in a hurry.

Pressure cook the beans with double the water, little salt and 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

Heat Ghee in a soup pot. I used Olive Oil about 3 tsp

Temper the oil with
1/2 tsp of Whole Cumin/Whole Jeera
1/2 tsp of Whole Fennel/Whole Saunf,
6-7 whole Fenugreek seeds/Whole Methi seeds
and a pinch of asafoetida/Hing
.

If adding vegetables add them now and saute for a few minutes

Add the cooked mung beans

Add 1" ginger grated or pounded in a mortar and pestle

Add 1/2 tsp of fresh corriander powder and salt to taste. Mix well. Add about 2 cups of water and let the dal come to a boil. At this point you can blend the dal to make a puree, I do not.

Adjust for seasonings. Squeeze juice of a lime quarter and enjoy hot.

Alternately

Skip step 2 i.e. do not pressure cook the dal at the beginning. Instead start the whole process in a pressure cooker and pressure cook the dal after adding all the spices.

I am sending this off to MLLA -19 hosted by Simple Indian Food and the brainchild of Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook

34 comments:

  1. Love the looks of it and with those crackers :)

    Sandeepa, you should try ghee. If my knowledge of ayurveda is correct ghee is supposed to calm you down.

    A friend just mentioned how tasty the soup she made with moong, moth and few others were, she had sprouted them and here you are vouching for it.

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  2. Yeah, truly, I need calming, trust me ;-)

    I do add Ghee to the Yellow Moong, the green one I chose to go light. But I am sure Ghee would have heightened the taste

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  3. OK, I did not know that according to the Ayurveda, this can be used for detoxing. The soup looks good.

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  4. Wow!!!! The Soup looks really good. Hot n Healthy bowl of Soup is perfect for this chilly weather:)

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  5. LOL! Don't mention the Samosas too often girl, I am just getting into my smaller size jeans! :P

    I was just thinking about you this morning, wish that you had posted something and here you are.

    I love Moong beans, great side dish with any yogurt Sambhar or parathas. Soup looks yum, don't even need those crackers. Slurp! Yeah, I usually add some ghee at the end of cooking to dals too, tastes great.

    Detox or not, Moong is excellent source of fiber, cleans out the system which is great! :D

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  6. healthy one...never tried this way...i do like thoran for rice..

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  7. That is one healthy and wholesome soup!

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  8. yummy... I shall try it soon. This weather is perfect for soup and this soup gives me nutrients in addition to being simple to make.. now who can top this?

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  9. Sandeepa have u tried Yoga? Before the whole home wake up, do a little meditation. U will definitely feel better the whole day!
    I don't know about ayurv. but this soup is attractive!

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  10. Don't know about the calming effects - but I do have ghee - on my phulkas, in my rasam... :) Small doses of anything seems ok to me!

    That soup looks quite amazing...I usually put the spices along with the dal when I pressure cook and then make the soup...seems to infuse the flavour into the dal.

    Miri

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  11. When I'm in a hurry, I cook mung dal the way you've mentioned and it's so yummy with rotis. And do add a spoon of ghee, it takes the dal to a whole new level!

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  12. Moong happens to be one of our favourite legumes. I cooked a lot with it when the husband had jaundice and eversince, it is always there in the pantry.
    I have never made a soup of it though, but this is something that will get made at homepretty soon.

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  13. Sandeepa, this Mung daal soup is made almost every Wednesday at my home. The Mung soup or Mung pani (mung dal boiled water) is very beneficial to your health, especially when you're sick or feel weak.
    Your soup look so good! btw, I tried your Kolkata Egg roll. came out yum..yum! Thanks for recipe. :)

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  14. I'd recommend the soaking - whole moong takes a lot of time to cook without it. Never heard of dal for detoxing - but then I never knew much about detoxing anyway.

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    Replies
    1. Me too! Phytic acid in whole grains will latch on to nutrients and then they are not able to be absorbed. Soaking will insure more nutrients for your body.. but, I think if you are just trying to cleanse it doesn't matter :)

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  15. I have never has soup with mung beans, we did back home curry and payasom etc.......... sure look healthy. Love the pic.

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  16. I had no clue that these were so good! I don't usually do much with them, except boiling them and having them like chaat. I love the spices you used for the seasoning.

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  17. RC

    Me too. Light and easy and if it really works wonders, why not ?

    RK

    Thanks :)

    Asha

    Yeah, have been really busy. Am at a trng right now and typing away here ;-)

    RS

    Thanks Y0U :)

    Divya

    This one is one easy and yet full of flavors

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  18. Raaga

    Exactly my point. It is so simple anyway, so why not ? Maybe twice each week, huh ?

    Cham

    OMG, you so remind me of my Dad. He is a big time Yoga proponent and is always after me to do some Yoga every day :) MY excuse -- no time :-D

    Miri

    Yeah a little ghee goes a long way, sure

    Jyo

    I would usually do the one with onion & garlic. I didn't think this one would taste so good too

    Aqua

    This one is like any other mung dal you might have made.

    Sonia

    Thanks. I am thinking of making this once every week too

    Sra

    Pressure cooking makes it faster

    HC

    We do use Moong dal but more the yellow ones

    Soma

    I make one with onion and garlic but this one is very simple and light

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  19. I am am moong lover, I eat it in any form. I can finish a bowl of moong sprouts just with salt and little pepper on it . :D
    We make curry the similar way , but never knew it has so many advantages lolz. Next time I make it , I gonna feel super proud of my self to have such a detoxifying dish in my menu , credits for that will go to you for posting this.
    Hugs.

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  20. Hi.........first time here.....
    Liked your blog with wonderful recipes and good clicks....
    Moong bean soup is such an excellent idea..... really nutrious, healthly and tasty.....
    Following you.....
    http://theworldaccordingtorujuta.blogspot.com/

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  21. Love this dhal. Never knew you could make a delicios soup with this. Will definitely give this a try !! I see you have added some green chillies to it although I don't see it in the ingredients.

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  22. EThomas

    I added the green chilis for the picture. I did not add in the soup as the Ayurveda way did not suggest it

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  23. I've never used whole mung before, I really need to try this, thanks for sharing!

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  24. Thats one lovely cozy bowl Sandeepa! I am not sure it detoxifies or not but the serene look of the soup definitely cleanses you :)

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  25. Wow....that's an comfort bowl of yum soup...

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  26. Soul comforting soup, indeed a perfect way to add healthy legumes to our daily intake!!! Love the way you made the soup!!!

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  27. lovely and delicious..yeah..i love to make dishes without onion and garlic some days !

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  28. Great Content and I love the pictures! I am really hungry!

    I wanted to share an incredible source on Ayurveda, the ancient medical science of Natural Healing. This site has free educational content, videos, articles, and learning tools. I was amazed to see that this ayurvedic school has online videos of their classes for FREE! ... to visit their website click on or copy:

    http://www.ayurvedaacademy.com

    Regards,

    Rick Roux

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  29. Mung Bean Soup, Today I drove to the Chinese Market on 89th and Penn in OKC and found Dry Organic Mung Beans. My doctor told me it's good to drink for the cooling affect it has on the body. I boiled it until the little green beans burst and "voila"- Mung Bean Soup. It's actually pretty good, and very filling!

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  30. Wow…I am bowled by your level of knowledge. I am so impressed. I think you have got a deep insight into this topic. Could not think on those lines ever…I think you are gifted…keep going. Thumbs up!

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  31. Amazing amazing dal! thank you for the recipe

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  32. hii

    i love mung dal. But can we make the mung dal a bit mashy and have (meaning..not soup)....would it have the same effect?

    Thanks
    Anjali

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