Mussoorie Mung Beans and Winter Vegetables

A funny thing happened this year in southwestern Ontario a few weeks ago when winter disappeared suddenly into a blazing torrent of glorious summer weather that had everyone outside all of a sudden to clean up their yards and plant their flowers. Inside, it had me thinking of using up my winter vegetables to bid farewell to that miserable season, which led me to this unusual recipe from Yamuna Devi's Vegetarian Table which is probably the first instance of parsnips being used in an Indian dish that I can recall. As it turns out, the winter vegetables ended up being entirely appropriate anyways as the fake summer has just collapsed into unseasonably cold and wet weather again.

Named after the famous hill station at the feet of the Indian Himalayas, the deep earthy flavours and textures of mung beans combined with root vegetables in this dinner make it extraordinarily filling and nourishing for any cool time of year. This version improves on Yamuna Devi's, if I may be so bold, by incorporating the stems of red chard — the sweetest and crunchiest part of the vegetable — as well as the leaves, and by frying the potatoes slightly after boiling to give them a bit of extra sturdiness and crunch. The gingered tomato sauce that's used to season the beans can easily be made a day ahead to save yourself time, with the added bonus that you'll end up with plenty of leftover sauce to serve over pasta for a delicious and easy dinner the next day.

Mussoorie Mung Beans and Winter Vegetables

Beans:

1 1/3 cups whole mung beans
4 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
dab of butter
1 pound red chard, leaves and stalks separated and chopped
1 cup gingered tomato sauce

Vegetables:

2 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 parsnips, thinly sliced

Finish:

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Rinse the mung beans and soak overnight in 4 1/2 cups cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Place the beans with the water in a large saucepan and add the turmeric and a dab of butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook gently for half an hour or until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in another saucepan and coarsely mash. Set aside.

Stir the green parts of the chopped chard and the tomato sauce into the beans, and cover again. Set aside the chopped stems of the chard for the vegetables, and simmer the beans gently for another 10 minutes or until the chard is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

While the chard is wilting, heat the ghee or olive oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and red chili flakes, stir for a few seconds, then toss in the carrots and parsnips. Sauté for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium, add the chopped stems of the chard, stir and cover. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mashed potatoes and stir for a couple of minutes to brown the potatoes slightly.

Stir the vegetables into the beans and season everything with the salt and pepper. Fold in the cilantro and serve hot. Serves 8-12.