Mung Bean Coconut Curry

The Chinese have the tradition of using food as a source to prevent and treat ailments. There is even an expression that says “Diet cures more than doctors.” Thus, I wasn’t surprised when my sister reminded me to cook more mung beans for my son’s acne. For teenagers, acne is a sign of too much heat in the body, and it’s common sense in China that mung beans have the effect of eliminating toxins and heat from the body. Also, it is recommended to eat mung beans in the spring and summer because of the cooling effect. Mung bean coconut curry is a delicious dish for changing the heavy winter diet to a lighter meal in spring time.

Prepare time: 15min

Cooking time: 50 min

Makes 3 servings 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mung beans
• 1 big tomato
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• half crown of cauliflower
• 12 small brussel sprouts
• 2 cups water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
• 1 lime
• fresh coriander for garnish

Directions:

Soak the mung beans 6 hours or overnight.

In a wok or a big pot, put the oil and ginger, add the chopped tomato, seasonings, and mung beans. Add the water and bring it to boil. Turn down the heat to low and cook 30 minutes.

Add the chopped cauliflower and brussel sprouts on top, then turn the heat to medium and cook around 15 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, and on high heat bring the soup to a boil; then squeeze lime juice in the soup and garnish with fresh coriander.
Serve with rice. Enjoy!

This recipe is inspired by Mung Bean Coconut Curry in the Kitchen of Youth. In her blog, Stacey, a Oriental Medicine specialist, has more details about the benefits of some other ingredients.

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The Need for Conscious Shopping: A lesson from my anemia

I have always liked the concept of food as medicine—using food to heal an ailment. Searching for information about what to eat to be healthier is an interesting thing for me, especially Chinese meals. However, my diagnosis of anemia was a wake-up call and made me think more deeply than just what to eat. What to eat is only one aspect of healthy eating; what’s in the food itself should also be taken into consideration, and this needs to be conscious.

After being diagnosed with anemia, I was told to take an iron supplement for two months. In addition to the iron supplement, I was also told to eat foods that have more iron. But too much iron can lead to liver and heart issues. Therefore, in my daily self-care, I focus on improving the function of the body while at the same time giving it the necessary nutrients, such as iron. As a vegetarian, the first meal that came to mind was millet and red date porridge, a traditional Chinese meal for women after giving birth. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), yellow millet is good as a tonic for the spleen and stomach (the digestive system). I believe the combination of millet and red dates is the perfect choice for my anemia. Putting all ingredients in the pot, I enjoy this simple, easy, and fast meal almost every day.

Now that I eat millet and red date porridge so often, I shop more for millet. One time, I bought millet that was on sale. But somehow I felt there was a difference between the on-sale millet and the millet I usually buy. After a few times of cooking, the feeling something wasn’t right still bothered me. I at last read the nutrition facts of the on-sale millet and was surprised to see that in this millet there is NO iron at all! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Millet,  no iron? This didn’t make sense to me. I then checked the millet that I used to buy and was glad to find out that this millet has iron. Furthermore, through research, I know that modern systematic reviews also prove that millet can reduce iron deficiency anemia. Thus, the millet red date receipt is fine for anemia. But obviously, the foundation is that the millet we eat should contain iron.

Obviously yet easily missed, I realize that I was caught by concept, the concept that all millet has iron. Unfortunately, this is only an assumption, and an assumption can cause problems, especially when I use food as medicine. Using food as medicine is not as simple as I thought. I need knowledge as well as conscious shopping. A healthy diet requires not only the recipes but also the desired quality of the food!

My Millet and Red Date Porridge (one serving)

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup organic millet
• ½ cup red lentils
• 3 – 6 red dates (Chinese dates), pitted
• 3 cups of water

Directions:

1.Bring water to a boil in a pot.

2.Put the millet and red dates in and boil for 5 minutes. Stir often so the porridge won’t overflow or stick to the bottom of the pot.

3.Turn off the stove and let it sit for 3–5 minutes.

Reference:

Frontiers in Nutrition, Millets Can Have a Major Impact on Improving Iron Status, Hemoglobin Level, and in Reducing Iron Deficiency Anemia-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2021 Oct 14.

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