Mung Dal Soup with Beetroot

Here is a recipe for you to make on Boxing Day or at least after the holidays.

Clearly and rightly so, Christmas is a lot about food as well, the rich and heavier kind :)

Yes, Ayurveda is about staying or regaining health, you know that. But Ayurveda encourages us also to enjoy what we eat, even if it is not our ideal food. When we enjoy eating, our digestive juices get going. We start salivating when we think about or smell the food, so the chances for us to digest that food are so much better than when we eat with guilt.

Why this Mungdal with Beetroot?

As you might know, mung dal is tridoshic and easy to digest. It helps our body to get rid of toxins, etc.

That is all good, but the beetroot is the true star of this dish.

Beetroot is high in iron and excellent for the liver and gall bladder. Both are super involved in our digestion. The liver helps digest the fat that we eat, and fatty hormones, such as oestrogen plus, lead it out of the body. The liver digests fat-soluble vitamins, cleanses the blood, scans the blood for intruders, and converts glucose into fat to store and release when needed.

The gall bladder squeezes bile into the duodenum to alkalise the just-arrived acidic stomach content and avoid intestinal wall perforation. When the bile is thick, the fat doesn’t get digested and solidifies in the gall bladder; we feel sluggish.

Beetroot is THE veg for both. After a few days of rich, fatty food, our liver and gall bladder can do with some help. Beetroot is just doing that. Cooked beetroot helps thin the bile.

This means that this soup rebalances the doshas with mung dal and beetroot to support the liver and gall bladder with digesting fat and all the other tasks they perform. Spices, such as cumin, coriander, and fennel, stimulate the digestive fire and cool the system.

Here is the recipe:

Here’s what you need:

100 g mung dal

400 ml hot water

1 tbsp Ghee

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

a pinch of cinnamon

fresh parsley

salt to taste

1 1 tbsp lemon juice

1 medium or 2 small beetroots

How to do it:

Do the prep work:

Soak the dal for at least 1 hr or overnight. Wash the dal and put it in a strainer. Peel and cut the beets into small cubes. Grate the ginger, cut the garlic clove and heat up the water.

Heat up the Ghee in a medium pot, add all the spices, roast for a minute, add hing, add the turmeric, roast for a few seconds, add the garlic glove and ginger, stir and sauté.

Add the beetroot, sauté for a few minutes before adding the mung dal and keep sautéing until all has come together and comes away from the bottom.

Add the hot water, be careful, hot steam will come up. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium/low and boil until all is soft. Add the cinnamon, lemon juice and parsley at the end.

Enjoy with rice or chapatis.

Save this recipe for ease:

Final Thoughts!

As we wrap up this post, let's remember the essence of Ayurveda in our everyday meals, especially during the festive season, is to enjoy whatever we eat. This yummy mung dal and beetroot soup isn't just a treat for your taste buds; it's a gentle, restorative gesture for your body. After indulging in the rich, festive foods, this soup perfectly supports your liver and gall bladder in their vital functions. The combination of earthy beetroot and wholesome mung dal, spiced with the warmth of cumin, coriander, and fennel, is a step towards harmonising your doshas. So, as you relish the last bites of your holiday feast, remember this simple, nourishing recipe is waiting to rejuvenate you. Happy cooking, and here's to a balanced, joyful post-holiday recovery!