Ayurvedic Cleanse - Dinner - Moong Dal with Chard & Lemon

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

½ cup/100g whole moong dal (mung beans)

4½ cups water/1.25 liters

1 cup/35g packed chard leaves & fresh coriander

2 Tblsp dried shredded coconut

½ - 1 tsp fine rock salt

½ - 1 tsp jaggery/brown sugar

Juice of half a lemon

Voggarane:

2 tsp ghee

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

6 curry leaves

1 chilli (broken into three pieces)

⅛ tsp asafoetida powder

To Serve:

Ghee

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Shaved Carrot Salad (Recipe Below)

Preparation:

Wash the moong dal thoroughly and place in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a rapid simmer and leave, uncovered until they are tender - about 20-30 minutes. Just keep in mind you may need to add more water when cooking - depending on the quality of your dal. You really need to keep an eye on them and judge so that you are not left with mush. You want the mung beans firm, but cooked. 

While waiting for the moong dal to cook, wash the chard and roughly chop. Measure out the remaining ingredients. Set aside.

For the voggarane:

In a small pan over high heat. Add the ghee and once it's hot, add the mustard seeds and fry until they turn grey and start popping. Add in the chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida powder - continue to fry for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, add the voggarane to the dal.

Add the coconut, salt, jaggery and fold in the chard leaves - mix well, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes until the chard has wilted. Taste adding more sweet or sour to your taste. Serve over rice and drizzle of ghee and sprinkle with a few rounds of freshly ground pepper.

Variations:

Soak the dal in the morning for a quick evening preparation.

If you’re not cleansing, add 1 tsp split channa dal to the voggarane and fry until golden.

Serve with Shaved Carrot Ginger Salad

Serves 2 - as a side dish.

This simple salad is a joy to make, can be ready within minutes. Carrots are the bulk of the recipe, and at times I combine them with shaved beetroot. The sunflower sprouts add a bit of colour and more crunch, with the sesame seeds providing that nutty earthiness. The dressing enlivens everything; adding a sweet tangy zingy lift to it all. It can also be made with cucumbers or fennel, it doesn't need an exact recipe, normally I do one or two carrots depending on the number of people.

Ingredients for the salad:

1 Tblsp sesame seeds

2 small-medium/200g carrots

one handful of sunflower sprout/coriander leaves

For the dressing

1 heaped tsp finely grated fresh ginger

2 Tblsp olive oil

2-3 Tblsp honey/agave

2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice

Pinch of fine rock salt

To make the salad:

Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat. This will only take a few minutes until they start getting a little colour and become fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Remove the carrot tops, wash and trim the carrots. Using a sharp vegetable peeler, peel ribbons of carrots into a salad bowl. Apply pressure as you peel to achieve thicker ribbons. For the very end pieces which are difficult to ribbon, chop them and add them to the salad.

Wash the sunflower sprouts, dry and add them to the shaved carrots. Set aside while you prepare the dressing.

Prepare the dressing:

Grate the ginger (skin and all) and whisk the lemon juice, agave/honey, salt, and oil together. Taste adding extra sweet, if needed.

When ready to serve, sprinkle over the sesame seeds and pour over the dressing. Gently lifting the shaved carrots and distribute the dressing through the salad without over mixing. Sprinkle over a few nasturtiums flowers if you have them in the garden.

Variation:

Use beetroot instead or a combination of both the carrot and beetroot.

Suggestions: 

Double or triple the amount of the dressing to use throughout the week. Toast ½ cup of sesame seeds to store in the fridge for a quick addition to salads.

Find more Ayurvedic Cleanse tips and recipes here.