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Mag nu shaak
Dry whole green moong
મગનું શાક: Jain Gujarati dry whole green moong with ajwain, hing, dry ginger, green chilli and lemon (plus overnight soaking)
Wednesday is mag day in many Gujarati homes, and in Jain families this is how it is cooked: whole green moong soaked overnight, pressure-cooked until just soft, then tossed in a vaghar of mustard seed, ajwain and hing with green chilli and dry ginger powder instead of fresh ginger, and no onion or garlic at all. A pinch of jaggery and a squeeze of lemon give it the gentle sweet-sour taste Gujaratis expect. It's a dry shaak, each bean whole and coated, eaten with rotli, or with kadhi-bhaat for a light, very satisfying meal. A common mistake is overcooking the moong until it bursts and turns to mush; two whistles is enough, and the beans should still hold their shape. Chef's tip: save the cooking water; a few spoons loosen the shaak if it looks too dry, and the rest makes a lovely mag nu osaman with a little lemon and vaghar.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the moong
- 7 oz whole green moong (mag)soaked overnight in plenty of water
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
For the vaghar
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
- ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
To finish
- 1 tsp jaggerygrated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain 7 oz whole green moong (mag) and put it in a pressure cooker with 1 ¾ cups water, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Cook on medium heat for 2 whistles, then let the pressure drop by itself. The beans should be soft when pressed but whole.
15 minStep 2: Drain the moong, saving the cooking water.
1 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp groundnut oil in a kadai over medium heat. Add ½ tsp black mustard seeds (rai); when it splutters, add ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds), ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida (hing) and 2 green chillies and fry for a few seconds.
1 minStep 4: Add the moong, ½ tsp dry ginger powder (sonth), ½ tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp dhana-jiru (ground coriander-cumin) and toss gently. Add 3–4 tbsp of the cooking water, cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes until the beans absorb the spices and the pan is almost dry.
6 minStep 5: Stir in 1 tsp jaggery and 1 tbsp lemon juice and cook for 1 minute until the jaggery melts. Taste for salt and lemon, scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mag nu shaak take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of black mustard seeds (rai)?
- Cumin seeds, same amount (different flavour, same crackle).
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