MUNG BEAN FRITTERS

This recipe — from Everyday Ayurveda: Cooking for a Calm Clear Mind by Kate O’Donnell — is inspired by a baked, north Indian savoury snack called handvo. Hailing from Gujarat, this spicy lentil cake makes a hearty meal, served with almond-cilantro or mint chutney. This stovetop preparation will remind you of making a frittata with mung beans instead of eggs.

1 cup (250 mL) split green mung beans, soaked overnight

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh yogurt

¼ tsp (1 mL) baking soda

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped cilantro

2 cups (500 mL) chopped spinach

1 tsp (5 mL) Sattvic spice mix (see recipe)

½ (2.5 mL) tsp salt

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp (20 mL) ghee

½ tsp (2.5 mL) mustard seeds

1. Drain and rinse the mung beans. Using a food processor, puree the beans, lemon juice, and yogurt. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Combine all the other ingredients with the ground mung beans. It should be a thick batter. If it’s too thick, add water, a tablespoon at a time.

2. Warm ghee in a medium, ceramic, non-stick frying pan or wok on medium heat. Saute mustard seeds in ghee until they pop. Pour mung bean mixture over the ghee, and spread evenly across the bottom of the pan.

3. Cover and cook over medium heat until the sides begin to brown, 3 to 6 minutes. Turn heat down a bit if the sides are browning too quickly and the centre remains liquidy.

4. Lift and flip the fritter by using two large spatulas. Cover and cook 10 minutes more, until golden brown. The final product should be an 8-inch (20 cm) disc, about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick. Serve with mint chutney. Makes: four servings