Walking along the streets and pulling my coat tighter I looked up to see the snow covered mountains. The patches of snow seems to lace around the mountains creating a beautiful pattern. It was a gorgeous sight. I knew I was lucky to be able to live in Utah. Yet somehow my heart was unsettled. No matter how beautiful it was around here, I was somehow seemed so attached to the busy streets of London. The flashes of christmas lights hung across regent street, the big red buses roaring past, the chatter of multiple languages around and even the street performers. Maybe it isn’t London I’m longing for, but really the familiarity of home and maybe the need for a break.

I had a wonderful thanksgiving break out of the country. Its actually the first thanksgiving break I’ve really travelled so far. Thanksgiving didn’t always mean very much to me, especially being a foreigner in the states. Turkey? Mashed potatoes? Green Bean Casserole are all very very foreign to me. Without family around, thanksgiving just seemed like another typical weekend.

The meaning of thanksgiving is found when you’re surrounded by family and friends – faces of those you love. Its about spending time and creating beautiful memories around a feast. Its an excuse to celebrate the abundance of blessings we have in our lives.

Although the English and French don’t celebrate thanksgiving, but, somehow being in Europe, the spirit of gratitude/thanksgiving was prevalent. Everyday walking thousands of steps to see gorgeous monuments, museums and tasting some of the most exotic foods was just incredible. Every moment was an exciting adventure. I remember arriving late in Paris, lost in the city and in the rain, looking for our hotel. None of spoke French and it took awhile for us to figure out our way. The unfamiliar surrounding make the the journey even more interesting but scary. The paris streets were dirty and blurry, covered in puddles of mud and water. My coat wet, my body exhausted from the travel, we walked what seemed like forever before we found our little hotel – a rather old hotel with large balcony doors that wouldn’t stay shut and required locking with a key from the inside. I could have been disheartened, yet I was grateful. Grateful to be able to experience unforgettable memories with my friends and family; grateful to be in paris; grateful to be on an adventure.

Today we are sharing beautiful recipe inspired by some of the most lovely indian flavors I’ve taste in the UK. Unlike the conventional use of “red lentils” we are using Mung Beans. Mung beans is a very common ingredient in Asia, you can find them in both sweet and savory dishes – mung bean desserts, mung bean steamed dumplings…you name it. Although I grew up eating it, but I have never considered cooking with it myself.


During summer break last year in Hong Kong,  I brought a huge bag of mung beans. We had been experimenting with a Korean mung bean pancake. There was an awful lot of it left, so I was trying to find a way to use it up. I wanted to make some sort of stew with it but I knew I didn’t want to use full fat coconut milk to make it creamy. The inspiration came one day when I was sitting at the dinner table eating one of my favorite home cooked Chinese dishes: pumpkin stirfried with pork and dried shrimp.  The pumpkin was soft, sweet and very creamy… It was like lightning had struck …what about a pumpkin mung bean stew?!

It didn’t take very many tries to get this one right. It was as if it was meant to be – all the flavors and textures was just a matchmake in heaven! My friends and my family all loved it. I MEAN REALLY LOVED IT. Right before we left to go back to school, my mom made me write down the recipe and film the steps for her so she could make it for my dad during the weekends for a easy one pot meal! Apart from my pandan cake she has never asked me to do that! 6 months later, one of my best friends texted me one day  and said she missed that creamy pumpkin dahl we had created.  She asked for the recipe so she could make it on vacation! She passed on the recipe to her sister who now also makes it with her european boyfriend!

I knew then that this was a winner recipe that I needed to share with you guys.
I know i know…Its taken us a year to post this. We have since done a few experiments using different kinds of pumpkin and let me tell you guys: Kabocha squash it the key ingredient here. The squash adds a creaminess and sweetness that even sugar can’t replace.

I seriously think I’m in love with this stuff. I know it says its could serve 6, but if I wasn’t paying attention I could probably gobble all of it down. 

Pumpkin & Mung Bean Curry

 

Save Print

Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs Kabocha Pumpkin, chopped and peeled (approximately half a large)*
• ¾ cup Split Mung Beans, rinsed
• ½ large white onion (or red)
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 carrots
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¾ tsp salt (+ more to taste)
• 2 cups Broth
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Garnish: Yogurt, Coriander

Instructions

1. Finely chop the celery, carrots, onions.
2. Cut the pumpkin in 0.5-1" cubes.
3. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant. Add in the celery and carrots (add a little water if it starts to stick). Continue cooking for 5-10 minutes.
4. Stir in the spices and cook for a few more minutes until fragrant.
5. Add in the pumpkin, broth and coconut milk. Bring to boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add the beans and salt. Cover and cook for 30 mins (15 mins covered, 15 mins uncovered) until thick and creamy.

Notes

*The longer you let the kabocha squash sit, the sweeter it gets. I like to buy it earlier and let it sit for as long as I can!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 5 Calories: 192.4 Fat: 1.3 Carbohydrates: 36.5 Protein: 10.5

3.5.3251

LOVE,

Zoe & Mia