Bindae-tteok (빈대떡)~ Mung Bean Pancake~ Sattvic and Delicious

Bindae-tteok (빈대떡)~ Mung Bean Pancake

Mung beans are a legume eaten widely in Asia.  It is a main ingredient in one of my favorite Korean dishes called Bindae-tteok .  A recipe for bindae-tteok was discovered in a cookbook written in 1670 by Jang Gye-hyang, a noblewomen in the Joseon dynasty.  During times of hardship, it was given to poor villagers by the wealthy villagers.  It is highly nutritious and often mixed with a variety of meats and vegetables, fried and served with a dipping sauce.  It is a versatile dish and easy to make.  


Mung beans are highly nutritious.  In a 1 cup serving of cooked mung bean you will find: 

  • 212 calories
  • 14 grams of protein
  • 15 grams of fiber
  • 1 gram of fat
  • 4 grams of sugar
  • 321 micrograms of folate (100%)
  • 97 milligrams of magnesium  (36%)
  • 0.33 milligrams of vitamin B1 thiamine  (36%)
  • 0.6 milligrams of manganese (33%)
  • 7 milligrams of zinc (24%)
  • 0.8 milligrams of vitamin B5 pantothenic acid (8%)
  • 0.13 milligrams of vitamin B6 (11%)
  • 55 milligrams of calcium (5%) 
Mung beans are also easy to digest supporting digestion and is an effective antacid.   Several other beneficial properties include :

Mung beans are a key ingredient in the healing and nourishing Ayurvedic dish called Kitchari.  Mung beans are balancing to vata, pitta and kappa doshas .  It has a sweet, astringent rasa; cooling virya; sweet vipaka; sattvic action on the mind and has a light, dry quality.  

Here is a simple vegan recipe my mother made often for our family and now I make for my family.  We enjoy eating it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Chun’s Bindae-tteok

Ingredients:
1 cup split mung beans
3 cups filtered water
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped chives
2 tsp avocado oil (or ghee)

Sauce:
2 Tbs tamari
2 Tbs filtred water
1Tbs toasted sesame oil
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper


Method: 
Rinse the split mung beans.  Place in a medium sized bowl and let it soak for 6- 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.  Mung beans will absorb the water and double in size.  If you are using whole mung beans, soak it overnight and maybe a bit longer until soft. 

Place mung beans and 1 cup of the water in a high speed blender.  You may have to add more filtered water later to get it to a pancake batter consistency.  Blend on high speed for a couple of minutes.  Add garlic, ginger to the blender and blend on high speed until it is a creamy, semi-thick consistency.  Add the chopped chives and stir with a spoon.  

Heat up a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat.  Add oil. Then add a large table spoonful of mung bean batter onto skillet.  We make the pancake size from 2inches in diameter to 6 inches in diameter.  Cook until edges of pancakes are firm.  Flip and cook on the other side for about a 20 seconds to a minute.  Larger the pancake, a longer amount of time is required to make sure it is completely cooked.  

Serve Bindae-tteok warm and dip it in the sauce.  Left over bindae-tteok can be refrigerated then reheated in a lightly oiled skillet for a couple of minutes.  Enjoy! 


References: 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4499388/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4523062/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899625/

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