Being the cheapskate that I am, I loaded up on dried beans at the health food store the other day. Pinto, black, fava, and just for kicks I grabbed two kinds that I've never worked with before: mung and adzuki. I've been making curry with lentils for so long and calling it Dhal that I didn't even realize Dhal could be made with mung beans.
I discovered a recipe over at Lisa's Kitchen for Creamy Mung Dal Curry while Googleing "what do I do with mung beans?" and thank the lard, because her recipe sounds fantastic. I made a variation and even though this is quite different from Lisa's I used hers as a base.
Once you plan ahead enough to soak the mung beans the night before, this comes together pretty easily. There is another hour or so of cook time, but there isn't much meddling. If you don't use butter, like I did, it can be vegan.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of cauliflower, washed and chopped into 2 inch sized pieces
- 1 cup mung beans, soaked in water overnight
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon powered ginger
- 1 can tomatoes
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 can tomato paste
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt & pepper to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 400. Toss the cauliflower with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast until the edges of the florettes brown, about 30 minutes.
The technique is a straight-foward curry. In a large pot over medium-high heat, bloom the spices in about 2 tablespoons of oil stirring often. I used 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil but you can use anything you like. Have the tomato paste ready and once things start to smoke, about 4 minutes in, dump the paste in and stir like crazy.
Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring continuously and add the can of tomatoes and the coconut milk once the paste starts to stick to the pot. Add the beans and enough water to cover them, if necessary.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the beans are soft, 40-65 minutes. When the cauliflower is roasted, stir them into the mung beans.
Once the mung beans are soft, serve over Coconut Saffron Basmati Rice, wrap in tortillas for Awesome Dhal Burritos, or serve in lettuce wraps. Top with a dollop of yogurt and curl up to a bad comedy.
Serves 4
