A SOURCE of plant-based protein, mung beans are a staple in vegetarian cooking.

In Malaysia, mung beans are commonly used by the Malay, Indian and Chinese communities to produce a variety of sweet or savoury foods.

Some examples are kuih kasturi, kuih putu kacang hijau, kuih kole kacang, bubur kacang hijau and tau sar pneah.

A sweet mung bean porridge that I enjoy is pradhaman.

It is made by the Malayalee community for auspicious occasions like Vishu and Onam as well as birthdays.

The laborious steps to make ‘pradhaman’ include toasting mung beans until slightly brown (above, left), splitting the beans using a stone grinder (above, right) and winnowing the halves to remove husks (below).

When I was a toddler, my parents would leave me in the care of soft-spoken APK Than­kam, whom I called Aunty Balan. She is now 82 years old.

She moved from Kannur in Kerala, India, to Malaysia in the late 1960s upon getting married.

Aunty Balan’s home is where I would go for authentic Mala­yalee dishes cooked with love.

Use a grinding stone to break the toasted mung beans to remove the husks.

Pradhaman is a traditional payasam or sweet porridge that calls for time and attention to detail.

Eager to learn the secret to making pradhaman, I managed to convince Aunty Balan to share her recipe.

I now understand why some cooks shy away from making pradhaman, as it requires more effort than cooking semiya payasam, a South Indian pudding made with vermicelli, su­­­gar, ghee, milk, nuts and raisins.

For the pradhaman, Aunty Balan uses a stone grinder to remove the hull of the toasted mung beans.

Once the mung beans are split into halves, place them on a winnowing basket and toss the grains in the air to separate the chaff from the kernels.

A colleague asked if a mortar and pestle could be used instead of a stone grinder.

The mortar and pestle would not split the mung beans nor break the husks, which is the objective. Instead, this traditional kitchen tool would grind the beans into a coarse powder.

When asked if store-bought split mung beans could be used for making pradhaman, Aunty Balan said it would not taste the same.

The husks help protect the lentils from burning, lending it the right amount of smokiness during the toasting process.

In India, fresh coconut pieces are added for texture and taste, but it can be left out if unavailable.

While jaggery is preferred, gula melaka can be used in its place, according to Aunty Balan.

I find this dish to be a labour of love and understand why it is typically made for special occasions only.

Pradhaman

Ingredients

300g mung beans (skin on)

500g thick santan (coconut cream)

¾ cup thick gula melaka syrup (250g gula melaka shavings boiled for 20 minutes with ¾ cup water)

½ tsp salt

40g ghee

40g cashew nuts

40g raisins

8 cardamom pods (pound into powder)

1 litre water (to soak mung beans)

1 litre water (to cook mung beans)

2 cups water or thin santan

Directions

Toast 300g mung beans in a pan over low flame for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove pan from the stove once the mung beans take on a light brown hue.

Place a thick cotton cloth on a table and pour the hot mung beans in the centre.

Spread mung beans in a thin layer and fold the cloth over.

Roll a stone grinder (ammi­kallu) over the cloth to separate the hull from the beans.

This process will result in the mung beans splitting into halves with some breaking down further, and best done when the legumes are hot.

Use a winnowing basket to remove the husks. Then, soak the mung beans in a litre of water for an hour.

Rinse the mung beans and remove any floating husks. Transfer the mung beans to a pressure cooker.

Add one litre of water and cook for 20 minutes. If using a stove, cook the mung beans for an hour.

Once the beans have soften­ed, add ¾ cup of thick gula melaka syrup.

Stir for about 20 minutes to ensure the sugar incorporates into the mung beans.

Next, add two cups of water or thin santan, then stir for 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat.

Add ½ tsp salt or according to taste.

Add 500ml thick santan and stir for 10 minutes before turning off the heat.

In a pan, heat 40g of ghee over low flame and saute cashew nuts until golden brown.

Remove and add to pot containing the pradhaman.

Next, saute the raisins in the ghee.

Once they plump up, add raisins and ghee to the pradhaman.

Break the cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle.

Pound the cardamom until the seeds break down into a powder.

Using a small sieve, remove the husks.

Sprinkle cardamom powder on the mung bean porridge and stir. Serve hot.