Mung Bean and Mung Lentil Dal

 With winter fast approaching, the nights are getting colder and this calls for comfort food. Today I have just re-jigged an old recipe and added mung beans and lentils to add a bit of flavour and texture to the Indian staple, dal.

You can serve dal with rice or chappaties and it always tastes better when you serve it hot with a bit of ghee sizzling on the top.

Ingredients:

1 cup mung bean lentils

1/2 cup mung beans

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2-3 shallots, sliced

salt to taste

To grind to a coarse paste:

3 tablespoons grated coconut

2 green chillies

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Seasoning:

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon asoefetida powder

2 dry red chillies, torn

1 sprig curry leaves

Method:

In a large flat thick bottomed saucepan, add the mung beans and lentils.  Dry roast till there is a distinct nutty smell and some of the grains start to go golden brown.  Take off the flame.  Cool and wash well.

In a saucepan, heat 6-7 cups of water.  Add the washed lentils, turmeric and shallots.  Cook till they are soft and can be mashed with a spoon. 

Add the ground paste and salt to taste and let it come to boil. 

The gravy should be thinner than pancake batter but not runny.  Adjust the water accordingly.

In a separate pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds crackle, add the curry leaves and dry red chillies. Turn off the flame and add the asoefetida powder.  Pour this oil on top of the cooked lentil curry.  Serve hot with rice.