
Spicy Sweet Potato Mung Bean Dal
This is the perfect dish that can be made with pantry staples. This recipe uses split mung beans which are a type of legume. It is a staple healing food in Ayurvedic nutrition since it helps to balance all the doshas by detoxing your body and reseting the digestive system.
Split mung beans are one of the most easily digestible legumes. I always recommend soaking it for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. When you cook them with spices like ginger, cumin, coriander and turmeric it also absorbs the flavours really well and further increases its digestibility. If you don’t have these in your cupboard you can substitute it with split lentils.

Mung beans are a great source of potassium, folate, vitamin B6, and magnesium (a common mineral deficiency in most people). It is also a great source of insoluble and soluble fibre which can help support your digestive organs and get rid of toxins.

This is a pretty easy recipe that is made in 1 pot and cooks in 30 minutes. You just have to have all the spices on hand. If you don’t have them, these are amazing and versatile spices to keep in stock in your spice rack. Spices are one of the best ways to enhance any meal, especially simple dishes like this one.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of split mung bean, soaked overnight and rinsed
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 4 tbsp of coconut cream (from a can of full fat coconut milk)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes, no added sugar or salt
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-inch knob of fresh ginger grated
- 2 tbsp of ghee
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp of ground coriander
- 1 tsp of ground cumin,
- 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
- 1 tsp of ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne
- 2 tsp of cumin seeds
- 1 tsp of fennel seeds
- Sea salt to taste
- Cilantro and lime for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all the spices (cardamom, black pepper, coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne)
- In a large dutch oven or pot, add 2 tbsp of avocado oil to medium/low heat. Add in the onion and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and grated ginger and stir for 1 minute.
- Add in the 2 tbsp of ghee (or additional avocado oil) and add in the cumin and fennel seeds. Stir for 1 minute then add in the ground spices and stir until fragrant for another minute.
- Add in the rinsed mung beans and sweet potato. Stir to coat the spice mix around the legumes and potatoes.
- Add in the can of diced tomatoes to the pot along with 4 cups of vegetable broth. Stir and season with salt to taste. Add in the 2 bay leaves and cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sweet potato and mung beans are cooked. After it is cooked add in your coconut cream (you can add more or less of it depending on your preference) I always like to add in 2 – 3 tbsp stir and taste and add more as needed.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with basmati rice or cauliflower rice. Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
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