A small green legume native to South Asia — dried mung beans cook quickly and are used in dals and porridges; sprouted they become bean sprouts; split yellow they make the silkiest dal; whole in Ayurvedic cooking they are considered the most easily digestible pulse.
Most digestible pulse
In Ayurvedic medicine and traditional South Asian nutrition, mung beans are considered the easiest legume to digest — less likely to cause gas and bloating than chickpeas, kidney beans, or black lentils. This is attributed to their thin skin (especially when hulled) and lower concentrations of oligosaccharides that cause intestinal fermentation. Mung bean khichdi (rice and split mung bean porridge) is Ayurvedic recovery food, given to the sick and elderly.
Bean sprouts
The “bean sprouts” sold in most Asian and Western supermarkets are sprouted mung beans — the whole dried mung bean soaked in water and allowed to germinate over 3–5 days. The germination dramatically reduces oligosaccharides, converts starches to simpler sugars, and increases vitamin C content. Mung sprouts have a light, crunchy texture and mild flavour; they are a standard component of pad thai, pho, and Chinese stir-fries.
Korean bindaetteok
Bindaetteok are Korean savoury pancakes made from soaked and blended whole mung beans. The batter is thicker than a standard pancake batter; the pancakes are pan-fried thick, producing a crispy exterior and moist, earthy interior. They are traditionally sold at outdoor markets (pojangmacha) and are eaten hot with dipping sauce.
Mung bean starch
Mung bean starch is used to make clear glass noodles (dangmyeon in Korean, suun in Malay/Indonesian), which are used in glass noodle salads, hot pot dishes, and japchae (Korean stir-fried glass noodles). The starch produces an exceptionally clear, slightly gelatinous noodle.
Find more vegetables by letter
Mung Bean starts with M and ends with N. Browse other vegetables along the same letter.
Vegetables that contain a letter from "Mung Bean":