‘Whenever the brain and heart fight, it’s always the liver that suffers’
The liver deserves some glory.
At more than 3lbs, the liver is the size of a football and the human body’s second largest organ, behind the skin. It holds up to 13% of the bodies blood supply and is a star player in the digestive system. The liver performs over 500 tasks to keep the body healthy, filter food, alcohol, medicine and toxins.
In this modern life, the liver is under more strain than ever. Thankfully the liver possesses a remarkable ability to heal and rejuvenate itself. This is something that sets the liver apart from other organs.
It is good to help it out once with the foods we eat. According to Ayurveda to support the liver you want to focus on astringent, bitter and sweet tastes whilst minimizing salty, sour and spicy tastes. The bitter taste is especially supportive due to its cooling and cleansing nature.
This salad is a great tasting dish, and luckily for us every ingredient helps support the liver. I discovered the recipe in the spring and early summer section of Divya Alter’s book, ‘what to eat for how you feel’.
Arugula – Helps to get rid out of the blood stream and neutralizes heavy metals.
Radishes – Radishes are a powerful detoxifier. They reduce the destruction of red blood cells by increasing the supply of fresh oxygen to the blood.
Sprouted mung beans – Mainly astringent, the humble mung bean is especially good for cleansing and detoxifying. Sprouting them a little, increases their digestibility and nutritional value.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- ½ cup whole mung beans
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp. grated ginger
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. asafoetida/hing (optional)
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 3 cups arugula
- ½ cup sliced pink radishes
- 1 tbsp. lime (optional)
- 2 tbsp. chopped basil leaves (optional)
Method
- In a medium bowl, cover the mung beans with 2 cups of filtered water and let them soak at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse in the morning. Sprout by spreading the beans over a sieve/colander with a towel over them, splash/spray them with water every few hours till the sprouts reach 1/8 inch. Should take 4-6 hours. If you decide to make them ahead of time, they last for c. 3 days if covered and refrigerated.
- In a medium sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the black sesame seeds, ginger and toast for 10 seconds. Add the salt and asafetida, black pepper and mung beans. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the spices are absorbed. Add the arugula for 5 seconds.
- Toss in the rest of the ingredients, mix and serve.
