Black Moon Dal, Sweet Potato Sun

This past weekend, skywatchers all over planet Earth were treated to a special event: the largest full moon, or Supermoon, of 2012. As astronomers and terrestrial beings marveled at the bright beauty, astrologers were aware that this was more than just an average supermoon - it was a Black Moon in Scorpio, aspecting the Lilith point, as the sun in Taurus was being conjuncted by magnifying Jupiter. The intensity of these combined energies offered an opportunity to courageously face our shadow selves, an extended encounter which many of us experienced in the days leading up to Saturday night's culminating event as "a controlled dive" into the darkness of our unconscious/subconscious beings.

Meanwhile, a body still has to eat! Which brings us to today's post: Black Moon Dal, Sweet Potato Sun. This rich, coconut dal was made with mung beans, not moonbeams, but even so, it sure looked pretty in the middle of those fat orange rays, all sprinkled with green. I arranged these colorful dinner plates for myself and my son Zack, and we relished them thoroughly before climbing out on the roof to watch the Black Moon rise.

Black Moon Dal

1 1/2 cups mung beans, rinsed
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1/2 - 1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 Tbs minced ginger
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbs Patak's mild curry paste
1/2 can organic coconut milk
cayenne pepper to taste
fresh chopped cilantro (garnish)

Bring mung beans, water or stock, and sea salt to a boil, then simmer for about one hour or until soft, adding more liquid if needed. In a small frying pan, cook onions and ginger in coconut oil until fragrant, then stir in cumin and turmeric and cook another minute to release volatiles from spices. Add onion-ginger mix to dal, stir in curry paste, coconut milk and cayenne pepper, and heat through. Taste for seasonings and adjust as desired.


Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

2 large garnet yams
1 Tbs olive oil
sea salt

Cut sweet potatos into thick wedges and place in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil until well coated. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss again. Place the wedges in one layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning with a spatula mid-way. Test for doneness, and continue roasting as needed, until wedges are satisfactorily soft and golden.


Presentation

Arrange sweet potato wedges around plate in a sunburst pattern. Fill center with dal, and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.