Recipe: Mung-Dal Soup

This week, we have a highly nutritious recipe that could contribute to releasing toxins, spurning on digestion and engaging the mind.

The mung bean soup can be eaten for three to seven days - and only the soup. You can eat as much of the soup as you want. To avoid feeling hungry; eat a meal every three to four hours. The soup helps to balance all three doshas and detoxifies in a very natural way.

The Mung Bean

There are both yellow and green varieties of mung beans. The green is detoxifying and therefore more suitable for the treatment. If you just want to enjoy a delicious Mung-Dal soup, you can also use the yellow beans. Mung beans swell less than other beans and stimulate digestion.

Prepare the soup fresh every day and warm up only as much as you want to eat. This allows as much Prana (energy) to remain in the meal as possible.

Ingredients for Five Large Portions

• 400 g of mung beans (green or yellow)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 litres of water
• 2 pieces of fresh ginger (about 2 cm)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Asafoetida
• Lime or lemon juice
• Some fresh coriander
• Ghee or olive oil
• Spices according to taste
• Salt

Preparation

1. Wash the mung beans and soak for at least four hours (overnight).
2. Heat some ghee or olive oil in a pan and add the turmeric powder and two pinches of Asafoetida. Saute for a few seconds and then add the beans, water and ginger. (For one part beans you need about four parts of water.)
3. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the beans are tender. If necessary, add water.
4. Once the beans are cooked, heat the ghee or olive oil in another pan. Add the chopped garlic cloves and sauté until soft. In the meantime, chop the second piece of ginger and add it. Then add the cumin and the coriander seeds and any spices (everything except the chilli), like cardamom, cumin or pepper. Sauté briefly and then add some salt to the beans.
5. Simmer for a few minutes. In the meantime, chop the coriander.
6. Serve the soup with lime juice and fresh coriander. Enjoy warm.

Note: You can also add green leafy vegetables, basil, pumpkin, leek, fennel, parsley, mint, coriander or zucchini in the soup.