Hulled Yellow Mung Bean Dahl, A Poor Cabinet Door & A Lost Mojo

I just want to share with you a moment when I lost my mojo and it took us, umm Jonathan, disassembling, in an already crumbling old house, a laundry room cabinet door, for me to get my mojo back. At first I used it for a photo shoot for a post coming out on Monday May 9, prettied the surface up with different blooms from the yard and over stylized but many snaps later it didn't look right. Told you, no mojo, and it was nowhere to be found! Jonathan edited the upcoming post glimpsing at the pictures he noticed the door wasn't a prop and all his efforts prying a 1955 door off its hinges were completely in vain, lost.
Well I couldn't let it just be mounted back without me taking another crack at. So I started a new post with completely different ingredients and started with the bare minimum and decided to stylize gradually and add props if needed. Baby steps. I took only a few snaps. My mojo a bit frail but back. It's all in exhaling and finding that equilibrium of your mind and gut and going into an intuitive overdrive.
Now to say I was terrified and panicked because I lost my mojo would be a stretch, frustrated yes! There were so many things happening in the world, though yes I was enamored too for the abbreviated version the morning of, but G-d am I so happy not to hear about the wedding and the royal couple anymore. Even some personal stuff was reduced and minimized when important world events unfolded. My heart goes to the 9/11 families for a loss so incomprehensible but this week I hope they got some peace.
Now, just wait and see I got more plans for Jonathan, I doubt he will be so cooperative when I ask him to dismantle another cabinet door in the basement in plain sight. (wicked smile! :).

What I meant to feature here is a hulled yellow mung bean paratha. You can see it in the background in the bottom left pic. Against my experience,  I went ahead and followed a recipe for a whole wheat hulled yellow mung bean parathas. When it comes to Indian breads I usually mix half whole wheat and half unbleached flour or keep it completely unbleached. Although the paratha went really well with the hulled yellow mung bean dahl I still want to make it with equal measures of whole wheat and unbleached and 100% unbleached before posting.

The hulled mung bean dahl is a nice change from the red lentil one. I kept the recipe identical with couple of critical exceptions:
1. I dry roasted the hulled yellow mung beans in a skillet on the stove for few minutes by the recommendation of Soma of ecurry in West Bengal tradition. It brings out a bolder more intense flavor. Thank you Soma!! I wouldn't roast the red lentils in the original recipe.
2.I used black mustard seeds instead of regular. It does have a slightly different flavor.

Please find the original recipe in My mom's best kept secret - Dahl! post.

24 comments:

  1. I didn't think I was hungry until...

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  2. I love how comforting and homey this looks :)

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  3. A lovely soup! I am so sorry to hear that you had lost your mojo. The same happened to me and I still haven't fully recovered...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. So comforting! Thanks for the mention:) and no one never roasts red lentil (well at least not me), but hulled mung? yes:)

    a 1955 door did you say? Hmmmmm...

    I make chana dal stuffed parathas (not puran polis) these are the savory ones. Shulie, at home most of the times, I have started using 100% whole wheat for rotis. I find them more wholesome tasting, but only they have to be eaten right away hot off the stove and kind of feels weird if saved for later. sometimes i will combine the Indian atta and the whole wheat which is good too.

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  5. Ahahha Rach! Thanks Deb & Marnely, this was a delicious not a heavy meal last evening. Thanks Rosa, I can completely sympathize!! Just knowing you and your site I know you will quickly rebound!! Thanks Soma, my pleasure. For the peeps that aren't familiar, just wanted to mention, not all legumes and beans can be roasted, Just in case someone decided to do it with the red lentils. I worry too much! :) I agree the wholewheat rotis need to be eaten on the spot. I will try to mix atta next time. Thx for suggestions!! :)

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  6. Mmmm, this will be the perfect accompaniment to my rainy day. Comfort food with an Indian twist! And as always, great pictures.

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  7. We are so connected, Shulie. I do not know how. Kismet, perhaps. When you were planning this dish (even before I saw the preview), I was staring at the huge bin of hulled yellow mung beans and J3 asked, "Mima are we getting some?"

    I had no idea how to transform them, so we didn't. Now I do. Thank you for continually inspiring our kitchen discoveries!

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  8. I think I lose my mojo every other week ;)

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  9. Awee..cabinet door for a prop! S you really are creative (wicked smile). Love the pictures and the recipe. Moon dal is a staple in my house..on week ends it gets transformed into crisp Pakoras..Yum.

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  10. This is one of my fav comforting food:) I don't think you should dry roast the red lentils .. it's only these yellow ones which are usually dry roast before making the daal and that is only followed in bengali families .. as far as I know !

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  11. Thx Lee Anne, it is nice as we have only dahl leftover tonight. I will make some rice. Annapet you don't have to roast the beans if you want to skip a step & thanks for all your support. Ahahaha Kat, I knoe what you mean but I bet only you feel that and everyone else thinks you are awesome! Thx Sanjeeta, ahaha told you desperate times call for desperate measures.Never made mung pakoras. I should try it one day but then I will have to dismantle another door in the house. lol Thank you Bri and Marla you are kind! Thanks Kankana, true it's a West Bengal, tradition to roast I think I mentioned it in my post. I wanted to try it as I normally don't roast and when Soma suggested it I thought why not. In regards to red lentils, I didn't want readers to think roasting can apply across the board:) & btw like your spelling of daal:)

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  12. You just made me think of Austin Powers :D this looks so appetizing and healthy, Shulie. I recently ordered Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking. Thanks for the recommendation :)

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  13. I'm like Yuri and I was thinking the same thing about your lost mojo last night when my comment froze up. This looks lovely, as always. I always crave your cooking when I see your posts. :)

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  14. Shulie, your soup looks all kinds of delicious and comforting. I love the sunny, happy color of the yellow mung beans--they belie the lost mojo you were feeling. I think we all feel that way at one point or another, don't we? Thankfully, it's usually temporary. The door looks wonderful in these shots. Your sweet Jonathan's efforts were a worthy cause. :-)

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  15. Ahahaha love the Austin Powers ref Yuri. Thx for the laugh/ Yay, I hope you like the cookbook. Explore it and let me know:). Thx Lora girlie. Was fun chatting today! Thanks Jean, First of I want to say you are the first ever saying something about Jonathan, so that is special and he will be happy his efforts dismantling cabinet doors are appreciated. btw he also makes killer omelettes. lol Thx my friend!

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  16. oooo great recipe! just found you thru chef pandita's tweet on healthy eating hehehe. i'm a bit health food blogger too! even though i don't eat too much korean food, my parents make mung bean pancakes (savory)! mung beans are a big in korean cuisine. :)

    loving the recipes you have posted!!! can't wait to start browsing. come check mine out too.

    http://juniakk.blogspot.com

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  17. Nice meeting you Junia. You got a wonderful blog I will explore this weekend more.There is a large Korean community here with many restaurants I am yet to explore. Good to know about the mung bean and korean cooking. I am mezmerized by kimchi but have not had it yet. Sure need to thank Yuri for the introduction:).

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  18. i love, love, love the color of this soup AND that door . . . will wait and see what Jonathan thinks about your next project - LOL!

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  19. this gets a big wow! All of your posts do

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  20. This is such a beautiful, simple dish, Shulie. Here's to that mojo coming back full-force.

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  21. Shulie, I lose my mojo, too. Seems like it happens more often lately! I'm hoping the summer will help with it, but with the so called "lazy days of summer," I'm not sure that's going to happen. ;) Beautiful post, as always!

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