Moong is a pulse that is native to India and spread to China and various parts of Southeast Asia. These beans have a slightly sweet taste and are mostly sold as dried beans and vegetable vendors also sell them fresh as sprouts. Mung beans are incredibly versatile and are used to make different curries, chillas, sweet dishes like payasam, laddoos and polis or stuffed flat breads.
Recipe: Darshana Muzumdar
1 cup moong makes 15 balls the size of large limes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong (green gram)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup jaggery
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- a handful of cashews and almonds chopped into pieces
- 1/4 cup raisins
Method
- Wash and drain the moong. Dry the moong with a towel and roast it on medium heat till it changes colour to a slightly darker colour. Do not roast it too much. Transfer the moong into a plate or shallow bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Blend the moong a little at a time into a powder that isn’t too coarse nor too fine.
- Shallow fry the cashew and almond pieces and raisins in two tablespoons of coconut oil on medium heat. Remove them into a bowl and keep them aside ready to use.
- Heat a pan and add one fourth cup of the coconut oil into it. Add the ground moong flour into it and roast it well on medium heat till it releases its flavour. Add a little more coconut oil if necessary. This may take around five minutes.
- Remove the roasted flour onto a plate and keep aside.
- Add a tablespoon of the coconut oil to the pan and add the jaggery to it. Mix it till it all melts.
- Transfer the jaggery to the roasted flour and mix it well with your fingers.
- Add the cardamom powder and fried almond and cashew pieces and the raisins and mix it all well with your fingers once more. It is now ready to make into balls.
- Take a handful of the mixture and press it into a ball by making your hand into a fist.
For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version:
- Dry roast the roasted moong flour.
- Use 1 cup soft dates instead of jaggery.
- Use 1 cup grated fresh coconut.
- Dry roast the cashews and almonds.
- Mix all the above ingredients and make into balls.
NOTE: These taste even more delicious than the traditional ones above.
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