Indian Inspired Black Radish & Mung Bean Salad

When I read 'The surprise of a winter radish' by Emily Horton at The Washington Post Food section on Wednesday I felt antsy. I couldn't wait for Sunday to arrive to make my excursion into the farmers market in DC for this elusive, new to me radish. All week I fantasized about....black radish!

On Sunday, a few lbs of assorted radishes later, I put a question on twitter asking for recipes and cooking suggestions. On any given day we eat the regular ole' radish raw, this weekend's crop had more of a bite to it, more pungent.  Reminiscent of sinus clearing horseradish at the Passover table.

Kathy (@kathygori) of the wonderful site The Colors of Indian Cooking came to the rescue and this recipe was inspired by her 'Radish Slaw Salad'. Cooking the radish gives it a sweeter, milder flavor. I shredded the radishes and tossed them in a wok. The consistency of the shredded radishes was so similar to the shredded coconut flakes that the ingredients played off of each other. A guessing game of sorts in your palette.

In this recipe I incorporated a couple different radishes as you can see from the photos. I found the green to be stronger in flavor. Both were sensational!! I always like to have a legume or bean salad prepared ahead for midweek lunches. The beauty of these super healthy salads is that they keep well for a few days.

 Black Radish and Mung Bean Salad

Ingredients:
3 lbs assortment of radishes, peeled and grated
1 hot green pepper such as a jalapeno, sliced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
2 tablespoons canola oil
Juice of 1/2 small or medium lemon
Salt to Taste

1 cup mung beans
Water
1/2-1 teaspoon garam masala
1-2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt to taste
1 cup mung bean

1/2 red onion, diced
1/4-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

On medium heat warm up 2 tablespoons oil in wok or a heavy Saute pan. Toss in the hot green pepper, cook for couple of minutes till soft. Add mustard and cumin seeds, they will sizzle as you add them, cook for few seconds and then add the coconut flakes. Cook for couple seconds longer and add the shredded radishes and salt for taste. Cook while mixing for a few minutes until al dente. Remove into a large bowl, add the lemon juice and mix.

In a deep pan add mung beans, cover two inches above beans with water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until very soft but still retain their shape. Drain well. In the same wok that you cooked the shredded radishes in, add 1-2 tablespoons oil, toss in quickly the garam masala and quickly add the mung beans. Add salt to taste and cook for a few minutes while mixing until mixture is completely dry.

Add mung beans to cooked radish. Add red onion, cilantro, adjust for salt and mix. Enjoy!!

Cook's note: Variation on mustard, cumin seeds, cilantro and garam masala measurements is based on your taste!!

Related recipes:
Indian Inspired Mung Bean Salad
Hulled Yellow Mung Bean Dahl