Me and my mung
I did my shopping today and I bought some mung beans which I knew nothing about except that I loved their color. When I picked up my books at the library there was Monisha Bharadwaj’s book, The Indian Spice Kitchen. Very handy book indeed. It has two pages on mung beans and it became clear that for Indian cuisine I had purchased the wrong mung, as they prefer their mung split instead of whole. However, they are used in Asian cuisines as bean sprouts.
WoooHooo!! I get to make sprouts. I consulted with GH because he used to make sprouts in college. We decided a canning jar with a screen instead of a lid would be a good container. He suggested I water them daily, shake out the excess water, and store the jar on its side in a dark, warm spot. After soaking them for a few hours I’ve set them up in their little home. I can’t wait to see if this works.
Dinner tonight was delicious, healthy and simple. I made Kofta again and this time because we love it so much I doubled it so we can have leftovers. Our ground beef is from Larson’s Green Farm and is organic and grass-fed. Its very lean and flavorful. There was no wind so the grilling went well. I served it with Fage Greek yogurt and sauteed kale.
You know, I’ve tried to love kale for years. I’ve read recipes and cooked it many different ways but if a recipe called for boiling the kale I just wouldn’t do it. Boiling kale seems so wrong, so overcooked, such an ancient way of cooking an ancient vegetable. But today I decided to give it a try. Why you ask? Because every time I’ve made kale its tasted tough, bitter, and nasty. I’m now here to tell you that boiling kale is the way to go, it really is. It was tender, sweet, toothsome, not overcooked. It was fabulous. Here’s the recipes (I’ve posted the Kofta before but here it is again and the recipe is not doubled).
Kofta
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 jalapeño, chopped fine
3 large shallots, chopped fine
1 pound ground beef
Zest of one Meyer lemon
Juice from 1/2 of the lemon
large handful of fresh mint, chopped finely
large handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped finely
Salt and pepper
Mix this all together in a large bowl. Transfer it to a Ziploc bag and let it sit all day.
Soak the bamboo skewers for 30 minutes or so.
Form around skewers. Shape into long, flat logs. Grill over open flame. Serve with Fage Greek Yogurt. These are fabulous.
Sauteed Kale
Adapted from epicurious.com
1 lb kale, tough stems and center ribs discarded and leaves cut into 1-inch-wide strips (8 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of dried hot red pepper flakes
Juice from the other 1/2 of the Meyer lemon
Salt to Taste
Bring 4 or 5 quarts of salted water to boil in a large pot. Once its boiling add the kale and let it cook for about 7 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Heat the olive oil up in a skillet. Add the onion and saute until it starts to get a little color. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and turn the heat down. Saute for a minute or so and add the kale. Toss the kale about the hot pan, mixing in the garlic, onion, and pepper flakes. Add the lemon juice, taste, add salt if necessary. Serve.
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7 Responses to “Me and my mung”
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Last time Goon tried to help me cook, I got him to make a kind of puy lentil- red wine accompaniment to some sausages. When I tucked in I thought ‘hey these lentils are a bit strange’. Turns out Goon had ignored the pack that said puy lentils and got my unmarked pot of mung beans out instead. (sigh)
I’m sure when I try to do double quantities for food, we end up eating the whole lot anyway. Those koftas look and sound delicious. When I make them they sometimes dry out a bit… got any tips for stopping that?
Good luck with your sprouts!
Hi Ros, you’re so right about doubling quantities. We were so hungry last night we ate all but two koftas. Mine were a little dry too. I think I might add some honey and maybe ground pork.
I can’t help but feel like I should have elaborated on my experience with dals. Oh well, better late than never. The only whole dal I’ve ever bought was urad dal, which has an earthy flavor and takes a long time to cook. I typically cook it with rajma dal (red kidney beans). My other favorite dals are masoor, toor, moong, and channa dal, all of which are of the split variety. I usually cook moong and masoor together. They both cook quickly and are easily digestible. http://www.foodsubs.com/Lentils.html You may want to pick up some asafetida (hing) the next time you’re at Yue Wah. It is supposed to help with digestion. There’s a reason why it’s also known as devil’s dung and your nose will lead you to its shelf location. Thankfully the smell dissipates after it’s cooked in hot oil.
http://www.foodsubs.com/SpiceInd.html#asafoetida%20powder
I have a few favorite dal recipes that I can send along to you if you like. Keep us posted on the sprouts! I’ve read many Indian recipes that call for you to sprout the dal and then use it in a recipe. Here’s one example: http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2005/06/12/sprouted-moong-dal-dosa/
Vanessa, the mung you bought are actually called chinese green beans. We cooked this with coconut milk and rock sugar dessert, the beans lends a cooling effect, great for summer time. You could also make a great soup with that using your favorite veges, some mild spice, just like how you would do if you use the Indian chana dal ( yellow gram ) lentils. So, what are you going to do with the rest of the beans ?
Mung bean sprout update: the jar with the screen didn’t work because all the water evaporated. I switched to a shallow pan lined with really wet paper towel and then covered them with really wt paper towel, and then covered again with a towel to keep out light. Overnight they sprouted like crazy. I’ll have big sprouts in 4 -5 days. I’m excited!
Jacob, yup, the dal thing is confusing but I’m learning iand that’s just part of the journey. I did pick up some Asofetida and it is really stinky. I had to put the unopened container in a ziploc because I could smell it every time I opened the cabinet.
Melting Wok, you’ve seen my little dainty footprints all over your blog, haven’t you? Is the dessert you mention the sweet mung bean and taro dessert you made earlier this month? If not you should make it so I can learn. Definitely seems as though the quart jar will be headed for desserts and sprouts. I’d love your suggestions..with recipe details.
oh Vanessa, the ones I used are de-shelled,split mung beans that have a beanier taste compared to the mungs you got, which is a milder taste and are very suitable for soups or stews. However you could use these rascals hehe for the sweet mung bean taro dessert I made, which will lend a lighter side :)
Vanessa don’t worry about the mung you have check out for a stir fry i’m going to post just for you in case you still have some left with you.