Tamarind Greens and Mung Beans

Hello Loose shoppers,

Thanks for visiting us last week in our new premises. It's wonderful to have so much space in the new shop to welcome you!

This week's recipe features MUNG BEANS because pulses are so very good for our overall long-lasting health.

We should/could be having more of them in our diet. Daily in fact. Studies have shown that eating beans and lentils regularly can help avoid all kinds of diseases and malfunctions in our beautiful bodies. Isn't that a wonderful and inexpensive way to keep us healthy? 

This recipe is by Ottolenghi, here we go:

Tamarind greens and mung beans with turmeric oil 

This echoes the flavours of southern Iran, with a few additions and tweaks. It works as a vegetarian main (serve it with fluffy white rice or flatbread) or as a side to all sorts of things: pan-fried tofu, say, or grilled prawns.

Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 4

105ml olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced (420g net weight)
10 garlic cloves, all peeled, 5 crushed and 5 thinly sliced
2 green chillies, finely chopped, seeds and all (25g)
2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar
1 tsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
120g mung beans, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour, then drained
1kg swiss chard, stalks removed and reserved for another use, leaves roughly shredded (480g) 
1 tsp caster sugar
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp tamarind paste
40g fresh coriander, roughly chopped, plus a handful of extra picked leaves to serve
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
½ lemon
130g Greek-style yoghurt

Put a large saute pan for which you have a lid on a medium-high heat, and add four tablespoons of oil. Once it’s hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 18 minutes, until soft and browned. Transfer a third of the onions to a bowl, then add the crushed garlic, chilli, spices and tomato paste to the onion pan and cook, stirring, for a minute more, until fragrant.

Add the drained mung beans and 800ml water, bring up to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium, cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes, until the beans have softened but still retain their shape. Add the chard, sugar, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, replace the lid and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for 10 minutes more, until the chard has softened and the liquid has thickened. Stir in the tamarind and coriander, and keep warm on a low heat until you’re ready to serve.

Towards the last 10 or so minutes of cooking, put the remaining three tablespoons of oil and the sliced garlic in a small frying pan on a medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes, until the garlic is lightly golden, then stir in the turmeric and chilli flakes, and turn off the heat.

Transfer the bean mixture to a large, shallow bowl and squeeze over the lemon half. Top with spoonfuls of yoghurt followed by the reserved onions, then spoon over the crisp garlic slices and their oil. Garnish with a handful of picked coriander and serve warm.

We made this dish and it was absolutely spectacular, so we think you'll enjoy it too!

Have a really good week,

The Loose Team.