How to Cook Mung Beans

Mung beans are common Indian and East Asian cooking.

Mung beans are traditionally used in East Asian and Indian cuisines. They are a healthy and inexpensive addition to any diet. When cooked, the mung beans can be eaten plain or with spices and vegetables.

Things You'll Need

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup mung beans
• Saucepan with lid
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• Large skillet
• 1/4 tsp. of spices of your choice
• 1/4 cup chopped steamed vegetables of your choice

Instructions

1. Boil 3 cups of water in a saucepan.

2. Add 1 cup of mung beans to the boiling water, and turn the heat on the stove to low.

3. Cover the saucepan. Simmer whole mung beans over low heat for 45 to 60 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed and the beans are tender. If you are cooking split or peeled mung beans, adjust the cooking time to 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Melt 2 tbsp. of ghee in a skillet over medium-high heat.

5. Add 1/4 tsp. of spices to the skillet, and saute for 1 minute. Garlic, turmeric and curry powder go well with mung beans.

6. Add the cooked mung beans to the sauteed spices, and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

7. Mix in 1/4 cup chopped steamed vegetables to the mung beans. Potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, green beans and peas go well with mung beans.

Tips & Warnings

• Cooked mung beans can also be used in place of pasta or rice in soups or stews.

• To make sprouted mung beans, place the beans inside a paper towel that has been moistened with water and folded in half. Keep the paper towel moist until mung beans sprout. That should take approximately three days. Sprouted mung beans can be stored in the refrigerator if they are packaged in a plastic baggie lined with a moist paper towel.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Jefferson Institute: Mung Bean Information