This delicious and visually appealing salad features mung beans—a type of small, green legume which is a great source of protein, fibre and antioxidants. It is also prominent in Ayurveda, an ancient and traditional form of medicine originating in India.
Recipe for 3 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients for salad
- 100 g dried mung beans, macerated overnight (a minimum of 12 hours)
- 2 red peppers
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 4 tbs mild olive oil
- 1 large white onion, cut in half and into thin pieces
- 2 tbs mild olive oil
- 2 heaping tbs dried oregano
- 1 large handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- chili flakes (if desired)
Ingredients for vinaigrette
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Boil the mung beans in enough water without salt for 20 minutes. Rinse them off and put them aside.
2. Meanwhile, place the whole red peppers in an oven dish and put it into the preheated oven.
3. Mix the halved cherry tomatoes in 4 tbs of olive oil and sprinkle them with a bit of pepper and salt. If your oven is big enough, put the tomatoes in a dish next to the dish with the peppers. In 30 minutes, the tomatoes will be ready. Let them cool off. The peppers are ready once they start to blacken, otherwise leave them in the oven, checking them occasionally.
4. In the meantime, cook the onion in 2 tbs of olive oil until them become soft and start to colour. Mix the oregano through them, then remove from heat and set aside.
5. The peppers should be easy to peel now. Remove the seeds and slice into thin slices around 7 cm long.
6. Mix everything through: the mung beans, onion and peppers.
7. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients thoroughly and add to the beans, onions and peppers. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste. Carefully spoon the tomatoes and their juice over it and garnish with finely chopped coriander. Serve with chilli flakes if desired.