Hello Diners,

Our armchair travels take us to Kenya this month! If you stopped in unexpectedly to visit your Kenyan neighbor just as they were sitting down to lunch, they would insist that you stay and partake of the meal with them. This is a fine example of an everyday Kenyan dish that they might be serving.

The dish is known as Ndengu (green grams) or mung beans. Grams are a small round bean, similar in shape to the field pea. This little legume, or pulse, is a dietary superfood – high in fiber, protein and iron, and low in fat. People in the U.S. primarily eat green gram as a sprout, think mung beans garnishing your Pad Thai.

If you have access to mung beans, by all means use them to make this dish. I’ve substituted black lentils for a different approach, and also because I imagine mung beans are difficult to find in some areas. Heck, probably black beluga lentils are hard to find in some areas too, so use the more common green or brown lentils if that’s what is easy to find.

This makes a great side dish or main course. Try it with some Chapati and a chopped Kenyan Salad. Both of these recipes are from the archives, where you will find more ideas as well.

Other recipes that I have tested for you this month include a very easy Cumin Chicken Stir-Fry and a smooth and luscious Mango Faluda.

Happy cooking everyone, and please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments that you have, at nw4@togetherwomenrise.org.