Moong Bean Thoran

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What is a food blog (mainly listing Kerala food) without a moong bean thoran?
Or in other words, I don’t know why I didn’t yet blog about the cherupayar thoran from Kerala.

Now I always write it as Moong, but actually it is spelled Mung Beans. ‘Mung’ is derived from Hindi word ‘mung’ says Wikipedia. That would also mean we can be sure it originated in India. Mung bean is cultivated in most places in South Asia and is very much a part of the cuisine in South Asia.

Ayurveda is very partial to mung beans.

Excerpt:
Of the most usable pulses, moong is one that has been described as the best for day-to-day use. Acharya Charaka has written that in both the green and yellow forms, it is astringent and sweet in taste, dry, light and cold in potency and has pungent post-digestive effect. It alleviates the vitiated kapha and pitta and is recommended to be served as soup during illness and convalescence. Due to its easily digestible properties moong dal is a dish of choice for people suffering from weak digestion, diarrhoea and dysentery and for those who are bed-ridden due to any prolonged illness. Sprouting makes the mung bean very nutritious adding Vitamin C to its list of nutrients. But be careful of buying the sprouted beans from shops. The link says, Commercial Mung Beans are grown with chemicals and gasses in huge 500 gallon machines. I have always wondered about that!

Whole Mung bean - 2 cups pressure cooked with 1 cup water for 15 minutes. It is ideal that the bean should retain its shape, so don’t cook it to death. (Yeah, I have done that many a times)

Heat ¼ cup oil; splutter 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 split red chili, 1 sprig of curry leaves. Crush 4 pods of garlic with skin, ½ tsp cumin seeds, and 5 green chilies and add to this. Roast the garlic until brown. Then add 6 shallots diced and sauté. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.

Add the cooked mung bean to this and ½ cup of coconut, enough salt and mix well. Cover and cook until dry.Serve with rice.