Maharishi Ayurveda Newsletter Archive

Ways to Use Beans and Dahls

There are innumerable varieties of legumes grown in different parts of the world, and they come in various shapes, sizes and colors. Legumes have been in cultivation for thousands of years. There are tropical or warm-region legumes and temperate or cool-region legumes. In many parts of the world legumes are considered extremely valuable dietary additions because they constitute relatively inexpensive sources of nutrition -- they are generally high in complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber, and relatively low on fat.

Not only are legumes highly nutritious, they are very versatile, lending themselves to all kinds of dishes and combining marvelously with grains, vegetables and spices, and they taste delicious, with a buttery texture and subtly nutty flavor.

Legumes are a rich source of protein and are a staple food in India and in the Middle East. Legumes are classified as lentils, beans, or peas, and all of them are basically seeds from specific plants. Varieties of dal (also called dahl), often mentioned in ayurvedic cooking, are legumes. According to ayurveda, legumes are astringent in taste. They help build all the seven types of dhatus or body tissue, especially muscle tissue, which makes them especially important for individuals on a vegetarian diet.

In ayurvedic nutrition legumes are often a part of almost every meal of the day. They are also used to make desserts and snacks. The protein in legumes is a very different protein from that which is found in meat products, cheese, eggs, and fish. Vegetarian protein from legumes requires some effort to digest and individuals new to legumes will find it very helpful to use spices that help digestion such as asafetida, cumin seeds, fresh ginger, and black pepper. Adding these spices to legume dishes will help to reduce any side effect such as bloating or gas that beans are often associated with.

It is also advisable to add legumes gradually to your diet if they are new additions to your diet. With regular intake, your body will adapt to them and enable you to digest them better and better. You can slowly increase your intake over time to levels that are comfortable for you.

The easiest to digest of all the beans is yellow split mung dal. Yellow mung beans are green mung beans that has been hulled and split. This dal helps to balance all three doshas and is the quickest cooking of all the dals. It takes only 20 minutes to cook without any soaking time. Be sure to properly rinse the beans with water before you use them and look out for small pebbles or twigs.

There are three basic ways to prepare and use legumes:

1. Legumes are soaked in water overnight and then cooked the next day by being boiled in water. Spices can be added while cooking or a spiced Ghee mixture can be added after cooking. Vegetables and grains may be added while cooking to create hearty stews. These legumes can be poured over rice or used for dipping flat breads such as Indian chapati bread or Middle Eastern pita bread.
2. Legumes can be soaked for several hours and then ground into a paste with a food processor to make dumplings, fritters, and desserts.
3. Legumes can be ground into flours to make dough for breads and for desserts and puddings.
4. If you plan to make legumes a regular part of your diet, you can invest in a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker will help speed up cooking times and cook many dahls without pre-soaking. It also helps cook legumes to butter-soft consistency, which ayurveda recommends for easier digestibility. Different pressure cookers have different time mechanisms, so you will have to experiment to figure out ideal cooking times for each variety of beans or lentils you cook.

The following is a list of commonly used legumes:

• split mung dahl
• whole mung bean
• chick peas or garbanzo beans
• split chick peas (channa dal)
• black bean, whole or split
• black eyed peas
• brown lentils, whole or split
• toor dahl
• pinto beans
• navy beans
• lima beans
• kidney beans
• soy beans

Here are some recipes that demonstrate the versatility of legumes:

Fresh Bean Sprout Soup
Serves four

• 1 carrot chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 sticks of celery chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tbls. Maharishi Ayurveda Ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon ajwain seeds (available at Indian grocery stores)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 inch fresh ginger minced
• 3 cups fresh mung sprouts
• 3 cups fresh lentil sprouts or other sprouts of your choice
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste

In a stainless steel soup pot, melt the Ghee. Add brown mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the cumin and ajwain seeds. After one minute add the fresh ginger, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the sprouts. Stir and cook for several minutes. Then add the vegetable stock and tomatoes. Slowly bring to a boil and then back to a slow rolling boil. Cook for about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Puree in a blender and garnish with fresh sprouts.

Kidney Bean Soup
Serves four

• 1 cup dried kidney beans
• 5-6 cups of water
• 2 inch piece ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Ghee or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
• 5 curry leaves (available at Indian grocery stores)
• 1 pinch hing (asafetida)
• 1/2 teaspoon ajwain
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• one pinch cinnamon
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1 celery stick, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans in water overnight. Drain and discard water. In a large soup pot, melt the ghee. Fry black mustard seeds until they pop. Add cumin, hing, ginger, ajwain, coriander and curry leaves. Sauté for about one minute. Add the beans and stir once. Add the fresh water, turmeric, cinnamon, carrots and celery and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low boil and cook about 25 minutes or until the beans are soft. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 10 more minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice.

Spinach and Mung Bean Dumplings

• 1 cup yellow split mung bean dal
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger (grated)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Ghee or sunflower oil for deep frying
• Maharishi Ayurveda Chutney of your choice (for accompaniment)

Clean and soak mung beans in water for about 4 hours. Make sure there is at least 2 inches of water covering the beans. Drain and rinse. Make the paste in a food processor by putting the beans in the food processor with 1/2 cup of water and processing for 5-6 minutes, turning the machine on and off every 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the processor several times. The texture should be light and fluffy and the consistency should be thick. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the oil and the chutney. Do not overblend or the dumplings will be very hard.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a large deep pan or deep-fryer. Drop heaping teaspoons of the batter into the hot oil, about 10 at a time, turning often so all sides are well cooked. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with a spice-and-fruit chutney. Dumplings can be served as an appetizer before the main meal.

Chick Pea Salad

• 1 cup chick peas (cooked al dente)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup red pepper thinly sliced

Combine all the ingredients and toss well. Allow to marinate 30 minutes before serving.

Savory Chick Pea Flour Pancakes

• 2 cups chick pea flour
• 1/2 cup white all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon hing
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• Ghee or olive oil for frying

Mix together flours, salt, and spices. Slowly add the water and knead into a thick batter. Stir in sprouts and carrots. In a frying pan, melt the Ghee at medium heat. Pour in enough batter to make two four inch pancakes. Cook on both sides about 5 minutes. Serve hot with a tart dipping sauce such as one made with yogurt and fresh mint.

Green Lentil Dessert Fudge

• 1 cup whole mung beans (soaked overnight)
• 4 tablespoons Ghee
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 10 blanched almonds, halved

Drain and grind soaked mung beans in a food processor until a smooth paste. Fry the paste in Ghee until golden. Add raisins, milk, sugar and cardamom. Slowly cook on low heat, stirring until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn onto a greased dish and garnish with nuts. Serve hot.