Mung Bean Paneer

Revisiting an old classic, via "Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Vegetarian Cooking" by Yamuna Devi. As usual, I always change recipes and this time was no exception. Creamy mung beans with fried paneer is always an irresistible treat. This recipe is a particularly good one to serve to guests.

Do take the extra time to fry up the paneer cubes. My only regret is that I didn't make my own paneer.

This is my submission to Susan's ever popular monthly event, My Legume Love Affair. This time the dear founder is the host.

Mung Bean Paneer

1 1/4 cups of whole mung beans
3 1/4 cups of water
1 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric
3/4 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of finely shredded or minced ginger root
6 tablespoons of butter, or ghee or a mixture of oil and butter (use less if pre-fried panir is used)
8-12 ounces (or 200 - 300 grams) of fresh paneer cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, or use pre-fried paneer cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of garam masala
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of amchoor powder (mango powder)
2 medium - large tomatoes, diced
2 - 3 green chili peppers, finely diced
3 - 5 tablespoons of plain yogurt or sour cream (I used a mixture of both)
2 teaspoons of sea salt
juice from one lemon
4 tablespoons of finely minced fresh parsley or coriander

1. Rinse the mung beans and soak in a bowl of water for at least 5 hours. Drain.

2. Bring the 3 1/4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the turmeric, cayenne, paprika, sweeter, ginger root and 1 tablespoon of butter / oil mixture. Add the beans, reduce the heat to low and partially cover. Gently simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the beans are butter soft but not mashed or broken. Remove the beans from the heat.

Transfer one cup of the beans to a bowl or blender and mash up. Return to the pot of beans. Alternately, use a hand blender to mash a small portion of the beans in the pot.

3. If you are using fresh un-fried paneer, heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. When it is hot, add the cheese cubes and stir-fry for about 5 - 10 minutes, constantly turning the cubes to brown them evenly on all sides. As they turn crisp and golden, remove the with a slotted spoon and drop them into the cooked beans.

If using pre-fried cheese cubes, add to the pot of beans.

4. Fry the cumin seeds in the remaining oil until they turn brown. Toss in the asafetida powder, amchoor powder, garam masala and coriander and immediately add the tomatoes, along with the chili peppers. Cook the tomatoes until they turn into a thick paste. Add the tomatoes into the beans, then add the yogurt (add sour cream if desired), lemon juice, salt, parsley and gently mix.

Serves approximately 6 people

More mung bean recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Mung Bean and Vegetable Soup
Indian Sour Mung Bean Soup
Creamy Mung Dal Curry
Spicy Mung Bean Soup with Coconut Milk

On the top of the reading stack: The National Post

Audio Accompaniment: A Blessing Of Tears by Robert Fripp