Michelle's FreeFrom Mung Beans with Fennel and Okra

Wheat, gluten, corn, soya, dairy, egg & nut free

Ideally, make the mung beans the day before you need to use them to give the flavours time to mature, but treat the vegetables like a stir fry and cook them just before you want to eat them. You can, of course, use either dish on its own.

Serves 6

400g / 14oz mung beans
4 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp gluten/wheat free curry paste of your choice
1 litre / 34fl oz gluten/wheat-free vegetable stock

4 tbsp olive oil
125g / 4oz okra, topped tailed and cut into short pieces
2 green (sweet) peppers, cored and sliced finely
1 tsp each lightly bruised fennel seeds and aniseeds
150g / 5oz trimmed sprouts, sliced thinly
2 large heads fennel, trimmed and sliced thinly
8 spring onions (scallions), trimmed
50g / 2oz pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
1 tbsp rice wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soak the mung beans overnight, then rinse and drain.
Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the onions. Cook fairly briskly for 6–7 minutes or until they are starting to turn colour, but are not burning.
Add the curry paste and continue to cook for several minutes, then add the beans followed by the stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer very gently for at least an hour or until the beans are cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Set aside to cool and for the flavour to ‘mature’.
When ready to serve, heat gently while you are making the vegetable stir fry.

To make the vegetable stir fry, heat the oil in a heavy, wide saucepan and add the okra, green peppers and the bruised seeds and fry fairly briskly, without burning for 5 minutes.
Add the sprouts and fennel, cover the pan and continue to cook for 10–15 minutes (depending on how thinly you sliced the vegetables) or until they are cooked but still have a little crunch.
Slice the spring onions (scallions) in half and then lengthways into thin ribbons. Add the pumpkin seeds, spring onion and rice wine to the vegetables, stir gently and then season to taste.
Serve with the mung beans.

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