mung bean and coconut milk stew
This is one of my favorite dishes; it has a complexity of flavor that you wouldn't expect from something so easy to cook. It's a great cold-weather meal and can easily be made vegetarian (vegan, in fact) by omitting a couple of optional ingredients.
I originally got the recipe from the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook and have adapted it slightly.
1 large onion, chopped
1 2-3 inch piece ginger, grated
Vegetable oil
1 pound (about 500 grams) mung beans, rinsed (you can presoak them for quicker cooking but it's not necessary)
soy sauce
fish sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 14-ounce (about 400 ml) can coconut milk
1 bunch mustard greens or other strong-flavored, tough greens, washed and chopped
8 ounces (about 250 grams) peeled medium shrimp or bite-size pieces of pork loin (optional)
Asian chile or chile-garlic sauce of your choice (optional)
In a large pot, cook the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the ginger and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the beans, cover with water, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the beans are mostly tender, adding more water as needed, then add the sugar and soy sauce and/or fish sauce to taste. (I think the fish sauce adds a little extra depth, but the dish is fine without it.)
When the beans are completely cooked, add the coconut milk and the mustard greens and simmer until the greens are tender. Add the shrimp or pork, if desired, and simmer another couple of minutes until the shrimp or pork pieces are cooked through. Taste for seasoning and add more soy sauce if needed.
Serve with rice, with chile sauce on the side for people to add if desired.
Crossposted at Dreamwidth (
comments); you can comment here or there.
I originally got the recipe from the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook and have adapted it slightly.
1 large onion, chopped
1 2-3 inch piece ginger, grated
Vegetable oil
1 pound (about 500 grams) mung beans, rinsed (you can presoak them for quicker cooking but it's not necessary)
soy sauce
fish sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 14-ounce (about 400 ml) can coconut milk
1 bunch mustard greens or other strong-flavored, tough greens, washed and chopped
8 ounces (about 250 grams) peeled medium shrimp or bite-size pieces of pork loin (optional)
Asian chile or chile-garlic sauce of your choice (optional)
In a large pot, cook the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the ginger and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the beans, cover with water, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the beans are mostly tender, adding more water as needed, then add the sugar and soy sauce and/or fish sauce to taste. (I think the fish sauce adds a little extra depth, but the dish is fine without it.)
When the beans are completely cooked, add the coconut milk and the mustard greens and simmer until the greens are tender. Add the shrimp or pork, if desired, and simmer another couple of minutes until the shrimp or pork pieces are cooked through. Taste for seasoning and add more soy sauce if needed.
Serve with rice, with chile sauce on the side for people to add if desired.
Crossposted at Dreamwidth (
comments); you can comment here or there.