Green Papaya and Moong Dal Curry

Green Papaya and Moong Dal Curry

Dosha: VPK

Preparation Tips:

• Presoak lentil overnight or for at least 2 hours.
• Skin, de-seed and cut the green papaya into cube size pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1 green papaya, medium size
• ½ cup moong dal or yellow split pea

• 3-4 cups of water
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 tsp. panch phoron (Bengali spice blend with cumin, mustard, fennel, nigella seed and fenugreek)
• A pinch of hing or hingvastak

• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp. of chopped cilantro leaves

• 1 tbsp. sunflower oil or ghee
• 1 tsp. or to taste – Himalayan rock salt

Directions:

1. Drain mung bean or moong dal from water and keep aside.
2. Heat ghee or sunflower oil in a pan.
3. Add the panch phoron, hing or hingvastak and bay leaf to flavour or temper the oil. Allow seeds from panch phoron to splutter lightly. For those who loves curry leaves, add a 7-8 curry leaves here.
4. Add raw or green papaya cubes into the pan followed by salt, ginger paste and turmeric powder.
5. Sauté the papaya for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add mung or moong dal, water and continue to cook in medium flame until papaya and moong dal are slightly soft (approximately 10 minutes). 
7. Reduce the flame, and stir in the coconut milk and cilantro leaves.
8. Mix well and cook for another 7-8 minutes.

Recipe Contribution: Shahnaz Jehan Khan, Australia.