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1
Soak mung beans ~10 hours (overnight or in the morning) with double the amount of water.
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2
Cook them on stove or pressure cook (along with the water) for 10 mins on low heat after whistle (Indian pressure cooker) or after the regulator starts to rock steadily (US pressure cooker). You can cook mung beans in advance/ over the weekend, so that they come in handy for this salad, which can be assembled in 10-15 mins.
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3
Do not discard water used for soaking or cooking the mung bean to preserve the water soluble nutrients.
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4
In the meantime, soak dates & tamarind in 1/4 cup warm water and prepare the vegetables.
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5
Wash, dry and dice lettuce leaves. Peel and shred carrot, cut onion and tomatoes.
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6
Now, pass the tamarind, dates, red chili and coriander powder through a small blender/mixer to make a fine puree. Use the water used for soaking. Adjust salt and leave it aside. Excess tamarind chutney can be stored in the refrigerator and used for other salads / chaats / snacks.
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7
Lightly beat the yogurt for a smooth thick dressing. You can combine 3-4 tsp of tamarind chutney to the beaten yogurt or serve separately.
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8
By now, the mung beans might be ready. Heat oil in a pan and add the mung beans along with the spices and saute for a few minutes/ till mixture becomes slightly dry.
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9
Assemble the salad vegetables, add mung beans and dress with yogurt and tamarind chutney.
