Whole Mung Beans and Spinach in a Spicy Tomato Butter
- Ready In:
- 2hrs
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 1 cup whole mung beans
- 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
- 5 cups water
- 3⁄4 lb fresh spinach, cleaned, stemmed and chopped (or a 10-ounce pack frozen spinach)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons ghee
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
- 3 hot green chili peppers, minced
- 2 medium red ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garam masala
directions
- clean and wash the beans. Put in a deep saucepan with the turmeric and water, and bring to a boil. lower the heat and cook, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
- add the spinach to the beans, mix thoroughly until the greens wilt, and continue cooking, covered, for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. stir in salt to taste. Keep this dal on a low simmer while you make the spicy tomato butter.
- heat the ghee or oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. when hot, add cumin seeds. when they turn dark brown (about 12 seconds), add the onion. fry the onion, stirring constantly, until golden brown (10-12 minutes). add the ginger, garlic, coriander, and chilies, and fry for 2 minutes. (if the seasonings seem to be browning too fast, reduce heat to medium.).
- add the tomatoes and continue frying until cooked and the contents of the pan look thick and pulpy. pour the entire mixture over the dal, add garam masala, and mix well. let simmer, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.
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Reviews
-
Thank you Anne 2 for a delicious mung bean dish! I needed a new version of my simple mung bean recipe. The longer process of this recipe is well worth it! The positive is the lovely aromas that develop in the cooking process. I love cooking with spices and the ghee is such a luxurious adjunct! I enjoyed eating these mung beans and spinach in a tomato butter. How stunning with a glass of Alsatian Pinot Gris!
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I like to cook things that are vegetarian (but sometimes fish), nutritious (minimize refined grains, sugars, and saturated fat), and most importantly delicious. This is important because usually when people put value on nutrition the resulting dishes taste like dirt. I don't understand why it has to be so black and white: either a dish is nutritious, or it is really good, never both. Because that's SIMPLY NOT TRUE. I have made incredibly delicious things that are, for the most part, good for you. (It's hard to always avoid adding sugar or butter, but one must compromise sometimes.) My dream is to have a gourmet vegetarian cookbook. I'll write it myself someday if I have to.