In Āyurveda
Every tradition keeps one food for the days when the body asks for nothing, and here it is mudga: split mung, soft-cooked. The texts rank it first among pulses precisely because it nourishes without burdening, the definition of satvik protein.
Dravya profile · Mudga
- Part used
- Split, hulled seed of the green gram
- Tastes
- sweet, astringent
- Properties
- cooling, light, dry
- Doshas
- vāta + · pitta + · kapha +
Traditional indications: The most digestible protein of the tradition, food even for the convalescent; The classical cleansing food: kitchari mono-diets of pañcakarma; Balances all three doshas when cooked with ghee and suitable spices; Gentle on the kidneys and easy on weak digestion (laghu).
Use with caution: Raw sprouts in excess can increase vāta and are hard on weak digestion; Imperfectly cooked dal defeats the point, cook until completely soft.
Preparation: Rinse until the water runs clear. For kitchari, simmer with equal rice, water and turmeric until porridge-soft, finishing with a ghee tadka of cumin and ginger. Whole mung sprouts for kapha constitutions; the soft yellow dal for everyone else.
Used in 13 recipes
- Ash Gourd & Moong Soup (Kūṣmāṇḍa Rasa)
- Classic Kitchari (Moong Dal & Rice)
- Dal Tadka (Moong Dal with Ghee Tempering)
- Hesaru Bele Kosambari
- ISKCON Classic Moong & Cauliflower Khichari
- ISKCON Split-Mung Dal with Ginger & Lemon
- Kovil Ven Pongal
- Lauki Dal (Bottle Gourd & Moong Dal)
- Mung Dal Chilla (Savoury Lentil Pancakes)
- Pasi Paruppu Masiyal
- Pumpkin Dal (Kaddu Dal)
- Pushtimarg Seva Khichdi
…and 1 more, found by the ingredient filter on the recipes listing .
References
- Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya , Vāgbhaṭa (Sūtrasthāna 6, mudga among the most wholesome of pulses)
- Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing , Vasant Lad & Usha Lad