MUNG BEANS

Mung Beans are tiny, tender beans that taste slightly sweet and are fantastically simple to use because they can be cooked easily without soaking. The mung bean is also known as green gram or golden gram and is mainly cultivated on the Indian subcontinent. They range in colour from green to yellow to black. They can be sprouted and used as a microgreen or cooked like a regular bean and incorporated into a hearty main dish.

To sprout, soak beans overnight then keep damp and well-aired out of direct sunlight. Be sure to rinse them a few times a day so they don’t dry out and to keep them from becoming contaminated with harmful bacteria. If you don’t have a specialised sprouting container, you can place them in a glass jar with a piece of thin material over the top secured by a rubber band. This will allow you to rinse them easily without taking them out of the vessel. Once sprouted, the shoots can be enjoyed raw or thrown into a stir-fry or fried rice for some delicious crunch.

Mung beans are also a tasty, healthy staple for soups and stews. Sometimes called the ‘Food of the Angels’, they are an easily assimilated form of protein and a marvellous base for a good, cleansing diet during the winter months.

Origin: Australia