Mung Soup with Ginger and Eggplant
इतरः पूर्ववत् कार्यः पाकः पाकविचक्षणैः । प्रक्षालितान् वरान्मुद्गान् समतोये विनिक्षिपेत् ॥ ६७ ॥ चुल्यां मन्दाग्निना पाकः कर्तव्यः सूपकारकैः । पच्यमानेषु मुद्गेषु हिङ्गुवारि विनिक्षिपेत् ॥ ६८ ॥ आर्द्रकस्य च खण्डानि सूक्ष्माणि च विनिक्षिपेत् । वार्ताकं पाटितं तैलभृष्टं तत्र विनिक्षिपेत् ॥ ६९ ॥ तैलभृष्टा मृदूभूताः क्षिपेद्वा बिसचक्रिकाः । बीजानि वा प्रियालस्य क्षिप्त्वा दर्व्या विवर्तयेत् ॥ १३७० ॥ पुनः पुनः क्षिपेत्तोयं स्तोकं स्तोकं विचक्षणः । केचिदिच्छन्ति रुच्यर्थं मेषमांसस्य खण्डकान् ॥ ७१ ॥ कान्यपि द्विधा भिन्नान्मेदसः शकलानि वा । मुहुः सूपे सुनिष्पन्ने चूर्णितं मरिचं क्षिपेत् ॥ ७२ ॥
Wash superior mung beans and cook them slowly in an equal quantity of water. While they cook, add asafoetida-water and small pieces of fresh ginger. Add eggplant fried in oil, or fried lotus-stem discs, or priyāla kernels. Add water little by little. Some cooks add mutton pieces or pieces of fat. When fully cooked, add ground black pepper; after removing from the fire, add powdered dry ginger and stir.
Ingredients
- 250 g whole mung beans, hulled mung beans, or split yellow mung dal
- 900 ml water, plus more as needed
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- 20 g fresh ginger, finely diced
- 250 g eggplant, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 30 ml neutral oil
- 1 tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground dried ginger
- Optional: 250 g boneless lamb, cut into small pieces
- Optional alternative to eggplant: 200 g sliced lotus root or 50 g chopped charoli nuts
Method
- Rinse the mung. Combine it with 750 ml water and the asafoetida, bring to a boil, then cover partly and simmer gently.
- If using lamb, add it after the first 10 minutes and simmer until tender.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the eggplant until browned and soft. Add it to the mung with the fresh ginger.
- Continue cooking until the mung breaks down into a thick soup, adding the remaining water little by little. Whole mung beans can take 1 to 1½ hours to soften fully; hulled mung or split mung dal take 30–40 minutes. Soaking whole beans overnight shortens them to about 45 minutes.
- Stir in the salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat, add the dried ginger, and serve.