Fresh, Tender Coconut and Moong Beans, Sprouted at Home
Mooga-Gaathi, a traditional Goan-Konkani recipe with sprouted moong beans and fresh coconut may sound like another unassuming moong dal preparation. But you would be delighted to find out the appetite-arousing attitude of this homey, gentle sounding dish. All thanks to spices – nutmeg, cloves, coriander and peppercorn.
The recipe is from my friend Veena Parrikar‘s kitchen. I made small changes here and there to the original to suit my taste. Easy to prepare, minimum work, no cutting or slicing things, and satisfying results. A perfect autumn recipe and a must try for sprouted moong bean fans. I totally recommend.
a Round of Ground Coconut and Spices – Black Peppercorn, Cloves, Nutmeg and Coriander Seeds
Recipe:
(for two, for two meals)
Sprouted moong(mung) beans – 4 cups
Fresh coconut gratings – 2 tablespoons
Spices:
Nutmeg – a small piece
Cloves – 3
Coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon
Black Peppercorn – ¼ teaspoon
Dried red chillies – 2
Tamarind pulp – 2 teaspoons
Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon
Salt – ½ teaspoon or to taste
For popu or tadka:
1 tablespoon ghee or oil
8 curry leaves
¼ teaspoon each – cumin, mustard seeds and asafoetida
1. Place a wide pot on stove-top and heat.
Add and dry-roast the nutmeg, cloves, coriander seeds, black pepper and dried red chillies to fragrance. Remove them to a mixer. Add fresh coconut and grind to smooth paste. For easy blending, you could also add about half cup water.
2. In the same pot, take sprouted moong beans. Add about 2 to 3 cups of water and stir in salt. Cover and cook. When moong beans reach required level of tenderness, add the ground-spice paste, tamarind and turmeric. (I also added a tablespoon of jaggery.) Mix well and simmer on medium heat.
3. While the moong is simmering, do the popu or tadka. In a small skillet, heat oil until a curry leaf tossed in it sizzles. Add and toast curry leaves to pale gold. Next goes the cumin, mustard seeds and asafoetida. Wait for the mustard seeds to splutter. And, immediately add the skillet contents to simmering moong dal. Mix, reduce heat and simmer for another five to ten minutes to blend the flavors.
Serve or spoon into a small bowl and enjoy with rice or chapatis.
Mooga-Gaathi with Chapatis and Jujebe Fruits (Gangiregi Pandlu) ~ Meal on a Autumn Day
Notes:
The original recipe did not have cumin seeds in tadka/popu. They are not used in gaathi.
How to sprout Moong Beans: Soak moong beans in water overnight. Next morning, drain into a muslin covered colander. Cover the beans with cloth, and keep the colander in a warm area. Sprinke water occasionally to keep the cloth moist. Within a day, you start seeing the sprouts. Wait for next morning. There you go, you have your own homemade sprouts ready for Mooga-Gaathi.
That should really smell superb with all those spices…!!Thanx for the recipe…:))
Comment by Rajeswari — October 8, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
Looks delicious. I love the usage of jujebe in the picture – the color totally stands out!
Comment by Kaykat — October 8, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
It sounds good and definitely looks great! but wont using a whole nutmeg be too over-powering? I notice you like the meetha taste in food as much as i love khatta-meetha together! Needless to say,im one of the daily visitors and so love your site.Keepup the good work!
Comment by jyotsna — October 9, 2007 @ 12:26 am
Never made anything with sprouted beans.
It looks really good and healthy
Comment by Happy Cook — October 9, 2007 @ 1:55 am
This looks delicious; just reading through the ingredients made me drool. Question: Are moong beans the same as mung beans? And would unsprouted beans work?
Comment by monica — October 9, 2007 @ 3:02 am
Rajeswari: It’s definitely a flavorful dish.
Kaykat: Jujubes are beautiful, aren’t they? It’s jujube days at my home this week.:)
Jyotsna: Thanks for pointing it out. I actually added a small piece of nutmeg and made the correction in recipe. Yes, I like khatta-meetha together taste.
Happy Cook: Then you are in for a treat. Give it a try.
Monica: Moong beans and mung beans both are same. I also added a link in ingredient list to clear the confusion. I guess unsprouted beans could work, but the taste won’t be the same.
Comment by Indira — October 9, 2007 @ 8:39 am
Yet another beautiful mung sprouts recipe from you… this time with a burst of spices. Looks very tempting. You have made a mung sprouts lover of me.. 🙂 Thanks.
Comment by Laavanya — October 9, 2007 @ 9:23 am
that’s an elegant and very tasty dish. i’ve eaten it at my goan and mangalorean friends’ homes. thanks for the recipe.
This is my second try and I agree, it’s really is a tasty dish.
– Indira
Comment by bee — October 9, 2007 @ 9:41 am
We don’t get moong bean sprouts here in the quanitity that would make it sensible to buy… can I stop at the coconut paste-stage of the dish and just have the paste with dhal or roti?
Hi Cynthia,
I think this masala taste better when added to beans or vegetables instead of just plain. Try it with baked beans or just plain cooked mung beans, or to vegetables like potatoes, capsicum etc.
Sprouting moong beans at home is easy process. Soak moong beans overnight. Next morning, drain and take them in a muslin cloth. Cover the beans with cloth and keep in warm area. Sprinke water occasionally to keep the cloth moist. Within a day, you start seeing the sprouts. Wait a day, there you go, you have your own homemade sprouts.
Comment by Cynthia — October 9, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
Indira !!!
You did it.. you did it again. The magic that is your cooking 🙂
Chaala bavundi. . btw meeku regi pandlu ekkada dorikaayi :O :O :O :O :O
[ transl. the dish is good; where did you get jujebe fruit]
-Mythili
🙂
I bought them at a mom-pop style Chinese grocery (low price), at International(china) district. Uwajimaya also carries jujube, Mythili.
– Indira
Comment by Mythili — October 9, 2007 @ 2:56 pm
hello Indira..
Nice recipe..but you know what just now I finished the mung beans sprouts by just making salad…didnot know what to do.Now again I will soak some mung and do this recipe..looks delicious.
If you try, let me know how you like it. Thanks Meena.
– Indira
Comment by Meena — October 10, 2007 @ 1:43 am
That is simply gorgeous–a work of art, almost too pretty to eat. (almost!)
Comment by urbanvegan — October 10, 2007 @ 5:52 am
I love the first picture with the sprouted beans in the coconut. It’s so wonderfully simple and beautiful.
Comment by terri — October 10, 2007 @ 8:03 am
UV and Terri: Thanks for your lovely complements on the photos.
Comment by Indira — October 10, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
Looks simple and delicious Indira! Pictures are motuhwatering as always ~slurp~
🙂 Latha
Comment by Latha — October 10, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
hello Indira,
How did u grind the coconut so thick. mine never comes that way in the blender. btw, u have a lovely website.
radhika
Comment by radhika — October 10, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
As usual, fabulous feast to eyes and taste buds!!Love the recipe!
Comment by Kalva — October 11, 2007 @ 7:40 am
I made it and died and went to nutmeg heaven:) Great recipe Veena and Indira..Thanks!
It’s really a gem like recipe, isn’t it?:) I am glad that you tried and liked this one Jananai.
– Indira
Comment by Janani — October 17, 2007 @ 12:00 pm
I have tried a number of your recipes and they all turn out good. Both my husband and four year old enjoy them too.
I am planning to try out the Moong Bean sprout recipe. What kind of a grinder / food processor do you use to grind the dry /wet spices?
Comment by Anita D'Souza — November 3, 2007 @ 5:24 pm
Just wondering if you might know the recipe for a dish with a kind of sprouted lentils with peanuts, I believe?
I had it one time, served with a rice side dish – it was very good. Originally, I believe the dish would have been from Karnataka.
Hi Shiloh,
Is it a wet kurma or dry curry kind of preparation?
There is a recipe we prepare at home with sprouted mung beans, peanuts, potatoes and brinjal combination. Steam mung beans, peanuts first. Add them to potato-brinjal kurma with tomatoes and spices. We serve it with rice and also sorghum roti at Nandyala.
Is this what you are looking for?
-Indira
Comment by shilohautumn — March 10, 2008 @ 8:55 pm