The Seer

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A light summer soup, Mung is cooked smooth, sweet and spiced.
Asian Influences — Vietnam, Thailand, China, Philippines. Serves 4.

The Stock
1 cup split mung beans
5 cups water
4 tbsp palm sugar
a sprinkle of earth or sea saltl
a sprinkle of asafoetida (see below)

The Seasonings
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
½ tbsp fresh Thai basil
4 thin citrus rounds

Preparation
1. Inspect beans to remove stones, inferior ones, etc. and rinse.
2. In a medium saucepan combine mung and enough water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer, covered, 5 minutes.
3. In a separate kettle bring to boil the 5 cups water.
4. Drain and rinse the mung beans and restore liquid with the boiling water. Bring up to boil and skim off any foam that arises. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the sugar, salt and asafoetida and simmer another 20 minutes. During this time use a potato masher to help disintegrate the mung. Replenish water if becoming too thick.
6. Warm the ghee in a small skillet over medium low heat and sauté the fennel seeds until the aroma is fragrant. Add to the soup.
7. Let cool. Chop the fresh mint and Thai basil and use as garnish with the citrus.

Split mung beans are available at specialty grocers and Prime Products. Supermarkets may have them in the packaged dried bean section with the soup mixes etc. Health food shops may also have split mung beans.

Asafoetida is also called Hing, It’s the dried sap of a plant in the fennel family and helps digest pulses/beans and so can prevent wind. This product is packaged in a small yellow container and is available from Prime Products etc.

Reproduced with permission from Sattwa Cafe: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Enhance your Health and Well-Being based on the Traditional Healing Science of Ayurveda, by Meta B. Doherty, Lotus Press, a division of Lotus
Brands, Inc., PO Box 325, Twin Lakes, WI 53181, USA, ©2007