Misal Pav (Spicy Sprouted Bean Curry)

• 180 g Mung beans
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 medium Yellow onion
• 15 g Ginger root
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 2 tsp Ground Kashmiri chili
• 2 medium Tomato, ripe
• 1 medium Lemon
• 15 g Fresh coriander
• 40 g Fried onion
• 4 slices White bread

1. Rinse the mung beans, then soak them in plenty of water for 8 hours. Drain well, tip into a colander, cover loosely and leave at room temperature to sprout for 24 hours, rinsing and draining once or twice. The sprouts are ready when you can see short white tails.
2. Tip the sprouted mung beans into a large pot and cover with fresh water by about 3 cm. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 25 to 35 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain, reserving 300 ml of the cooking liquid.
3. Finely chop the yellow onion and tomatoes. Grate the ginger root and finely chop the garlic. Cut the lemon into wedges and roughly chop the fresh coriander.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds. Let them crackle for 30 to 60 seconds, then add the yellow onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the ginger root and garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
5. Stir in the ground turmeric and ground Kashmiri chili for 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until broken down and glossy. If it catches, splash in a little of the reserved cooking liquid.
6. Add the cooked sprouts and 250 ml of the reserved cooking liquid, then bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have a spoon-coating gravy; add a little more liquid if you prefer it looser. Taste and adjust with a squeeze of lemon for brightness.
7. Toast the white bread slices in a dry pan or toaster until warm and lightly crisp at the edges. Ladle the misal into bowls, top generously with fried onion, and finish with fresh coriander. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and the toast on the side.

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