For the mung bean rice bowl
Soak the mung beans in a generous amount of cold water for at least 4 hours.
Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Clean the carrots and cut into slices. If they are larger, first cut in half lengthwise. Wash the chili peppers, remove the seeds, and cut into strips.
Add the onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, soaked and drained mung beans, rice, and 550 ml of water to a large saucepan. Bring the contents to a boil, reduce the heat, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally, adding a little water if necessary.
If you prefer a crisper texture, let the mung beans and rice cook for 15 minutes before you add the vegetables.
The original recipe calls for purple rice, which is a special variety of long-grain rice.
For the turmeric dip
Prepare the dip while the mung beans and rice are cooking. Puree the soy yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, apple juice concentrate, and coconut flour. Season with salt and pepper.
The author uses rice milk yogurt instead of soy yogurt. If apple juice concentrate isn’t available, you can also use apple syrup. See the simple recipe under Alternative Preparation. You may also use any other type of sweetener that you would like.
Serving
Wash and finely chop the parsley. Add the parsley and cumin to the mung bean rice bowl when it is finished cooking. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the turmeric dip.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Turmeric dip and cumin give this satisfying mung bean, carrot, and sweet pepper rice bowl an oriental flair.
Servings: The author notes that this recipe makes two servings. However, based on the ingredients used and their satiety value, we have indicated that the recipe will make enough to serve four.
Mung beans: Green mung beans, originally from India, are about the size of a pea and have an elongated oval shape. Mung beans have a subtle, mild-nutty flavor. They are often mistaken for soybeans, which in contrast are white, somewhat larger, and distinctly more intense in taste. Mung beans are rich in protein and are a good source of lysine, an essential amino acid. They are high in fiber, vitamins, and folic acid and low in calories.
Turmeric: While fresh turmeric has a somewhat bitter and slightly spicy flavor, dried turmeric is milder with just a touch of bitterness. It is primarily used for imparting color to dishes. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family and is native to South Asia. Fresh tumeric is similar to ginger, but has a deeper orange-yellow color. The color comes from curcumin, the main active ingredient in turmeric. Tumeric stimulates digestion.
Cumin: As they have a similar name in many languages (e.g., in German: Kreuzkümmel and Kümmel), cumin and caraway are often confused. However, they actually aren’t closely related and have a very different flavor. Cuminaldehyde is the essential oil that gives ground cumin its fresh and slightly spicy flavor.
Coconut flour: Coconut flour is a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour. It is made from ground and dried coconut meat from which the oil has been extracted. Compared to coconut meat, it is relatively low in fat. Follow the link in the “Ingredients” section for a recipe to make your own coconut flour.
Sweet pointed peppers: Sweet pointed peppers are sweeter than their round relatives, yet are just as rich a source of vitamins and minerals. Their skin is thinner than that of other types of peppers. If you do not have sweet pointed peppers available, you can use regular bell peppers instead.
Tips
Purple rice: The author uses purple rice in this recipe. Purple rice belongs to the long-grain rice family and is named for its distinctive color. It is a sticky rice because of the moisture it retains after cooking. As a result of its color, it is often used to make rice dishes more visually attractive.
Alternate preparation
Sweeteners: We have replaced the apple syrup listed in the original recipe with apple juice concentrate. During the manufacturing process of apple syrup, it loses color, flavor, and other substances such as tartaric acid. This is why it is lighter in color and less flavorful than apple juice concentrate. If neither apple syrup nor apple juice concentrate are available, you can also make apple syrup yourself. Simply combine ½ liter apple juice and 200 g sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes until the syrup has the desired consistency. You may also use any other type of sweetener that you would like.
