Month: May 2024

A Really Good Mushroom Soup. Really!

A Really Good Mushroom Soup. Really!

This is the “little black dress” of mushroom soups. It’s basic. It’s elegant. It never disappoints. This recipe is from Deborah Madison’s cookbook Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen. You can order the book through your local bookstore or on Amazon here. It is a great…

Tangerine Trees, Marmalade Skies and a Truly Delicious Broccoli Forest Loaf

Tangerine Trees, Marmalade Skies and a Truly Delicious Broccoli Forest Loaf

Hetty McKinnon’s recipes usually delight my senses. This one caught my attention with it’s fanciful name. In fact, for some reason, this reminds me of the colorful imagery in the first stanza of  McCartney’s and Lennon’s Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. You remember those…

A different kind of pancake:  Yellow Bean and Spinach Dosas

A different kind of pancake: Yellow Bean and Spinach Dosas


I grew up with the notion that pancakes needed to be sweet. You know, sweetened batters cooked on a grill, slathered with butter and drizzled with a generous glug of maple syrup. (Those were wonderful pancakes.)

As my palate has matured and much to my delight, I’ve been introduced to savory pancakes. You know…scallion pancakes, savory crepes and on and on. 

Here is another savory pancake that soars: Yellow Bean and Spinach Dosas. The batter is made with soaked split mung beans. Mung beans are a member of the legume family and a nutritive powerhouse rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Here in the United States, they are mostly used for sprouts, but, in India (and other parts of Asia) they are used in sweet and savory dishes like these wonderful dosas.

This recipe is from Joe Yonan’s cookbook Cool Beans. You can order the cookbook through your local bookstore or from Amazon here.

Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen. 

Yellow Beans With Spinach

May 14, 2024
Ingredients
  • 1 C. dried split mung beans (soaked for two hours, drained and rinsed)
  • 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger (grated)
  • 1 dried red chile
  • 1/2 t. kosher salt (or to taste)
  • Water
  • 1/2 C. chopped baby spinach
  • 1 T. grapeseed or other neutral oil
  • 1/4 yellow onion (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 C. fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 jalapeno chile (finely chopped)
  • Chutney (thinned with a bit of water)
Directions
  • Step 1 Drain and rinse soaked mung beans. Combine the soaked mung beans with grated ginger, dried chile, kosher salt and blend in a strong blender like a Vitamix or in a food processor. Add water as necessary to thin your batter if it is too thick. You want a consistency like a thick pancake batter.
  • Step 2 Put the batter into a bowl and stir in the chopped spinach. Add more salt at this point if needed.
  • Step 3 Heat a griddle or large frying pan on high heat. Wipe down griddle or frying pan with oil. Pour 1/3 C. batter onto the hot griddle using a spatula or the bottom of the measuring cup to smooth the batter into a smooth thin circle–the larger the circle the better. (Distribute the batter on your hot griddle using circular motions to do this.)You want your dosa to be very thin and you want it to crisp a little. Sprinkle a little of the onion, cilantro and chopped jalapeno across the top of your dosa. Sprinkle a little oil on top of the dosa.Use a spatula to press the vegetables down into the dosa. Cook the dosa for 1-2 minutes. (You want the edges of the dosa to begin to brown if that is possible.) Flip the dosa and cook for another minute, again pressing down on the surface of the dosa with a spatula. Flip the dosa again and transfer to your serving plate. Fold the dosa into halves or thirds and sprinkle with a bit more of the chopped vegetables. Serve with a thinned chutney.
Oldies But Goodies: Strawberry Pistachio Cake

Oldies But Goodies: Strawberry Pistachio Cake

Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.” Today’s Oldie But Goodie recipe is perfect to celebrate spring and this year’s exceptional strawberry crop. This is a recipe for Strawberry-Pistachio Cake.…

Turkish White Beans

Turkish White Beans

These Turkish White Beans are wonderful—delicious and with a distinct Mediterranean flavor.  This would be perfect for a plant-based main dish served with crusty bread and a green salad (maybe with feta?) or as part of a mezze assortment of dishes. This recipe is from…