Moong Dal

Also known asSplit Mung Beans · Green Gram Dal

Name: Moong dal — split, skinned mung beans (Vigna radiata), small, pale yellow, and quick-cooking, with a mild, slightly sweet flavour. Whole mung beans, with the green skin, are called sabut moong, and they are described under Beans.

Description

Moong dal is one of the most important dals in India, and is valued as the easiest to digest of all the pulses, so it is often the first dal given to children, and to people recovering from illness. It is used in dals, khichdi, soups, pancakes (moong dal cheela), fritters, and in sweets such as moong dal halwa.

It cooks in 15 to 30 minutes, without much soaking, and breaks down to a soft, creamy consistency. Mung beans are native to India, and are an ancient crop.

Main nutrition value

Moong dal is a good source of plant protein and fibre, and provides folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese, and is gentle on digestion.

How best to be consumed

Moong dal cooks quickly, and is easy to digest.

1. Rinse well, and soak for 30 minutes if you wish, then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until soft.
2. Make into dal with turmeric, ginger, cumin and a ghee tadka, or into khichdi with rice.
3. Soak, grind and fry into savoury pancakes, or cheela, and fritters.
4. Cook into sweet halwa for festivals, in moderation.
5. Choose split yellow moong dal for quick dishes, and whole for slower ones.

Overconsumption could cause…

Moong dal is healthy in food amounts when cooked.

1. Bloating and gas from the fermentable carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) in pulses, particularly if you are not used to eating them, so build up gradually and drink water.
2. Allergic reactions in a small number of people allergic to legumes, and cross-reaction between chickpeas, lentils and peanuts in some.
3. Reduced absorption of iron, zinc and calcium from the phytates in dried pulses, which soaking and thorough cooking reduce.
4. A lot of ghee, oil and sugar in tadkas and sweets such as halwa.

GroupsLentilsLegume familyHigh fibreHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in magnesiumRich in potassiumIndian

Related foodsToor Dal / Pigeon PeasMasoor DalChana Dal / Split ChickpeasUrad Dal / Black GramBrown LentilsFrench Green Lentils

Wikipedia — Mung bean, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mung_bean