Its real name is mung bean and although it has nothing to do with soy, it is the legume richest in protein after soy. Star of Indian cuisine, it offers tasty and easy-to-digest dishes.
If legumes could have an identity crisis, that would be the mung bean problem. It is called by countless names, its botanical family has been changed and it has even been confused with a non-existent «green soybean». Even what are often marketed as «soybean sprouts» are actually mung sprouts.
The first botanical names of the plant were Phaseolus aureus and Phaseolus radiatus, within the family that houses the majority of the American Jews, but has recently been transferred to the family of the Vignawith the last name radiatawhich names the beans native to Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean coast.
Therefore, the current scientific name of the mung bean is Vigna radiata, But to further complicate the situation, it turns out that there is a Jewish woman named Phaseolus mungo or Vigna mungo, which among us and in other countries is the so-called Urd or Urud Jew, oblong in shape and much darker in color.
Such messes of the tongue do not prevent mung beans, dark and shiny green on the outside and bright yellow on the inside, from being a valuable food, loaded with proteins, minerals and vitamins. They have a sweet flavor tinged with freshness, They are soft and easily digested. In addition, they are a very versatile ingredient that adapts to both stews and salads.
Mung beans, which grow in warm regions, were first cultivated in India more than 5,000 years ago. Some 2,000 years later they arrived in China, where they discovered that by sprouting them they became a delicious, crunchy ingredient that, raw, cooked or lightly fried, was suitable for a multitude of dishes.
Properties of mung bean
Rich in protein and a wide range of vitamins and minerals, green soybeans or mung beans are considered a true nutritional luxury.
quality proteins
The mung bean is a great source of protein since it provides no less than 25 g per 100 g (30 g if peeled). In addition, it provides carbohydrates, fiber and a minimal amount of fat.
As they are especially rich in the amino acid lysine, which is scarce in many cereals, mung beans are ideal for making the most of the protein in vegetarian-based diets.
Some nutritionists consider them especially suitable for children from poor areas, as they are a healthy and economical alternative to meat.
By the way, one theory states that the combination of proteins and fats from African mung-like legumes was the decisive factor that allowed hominids to develop a large brain.
Mungos also have an easily digestible protein – especially if they are consumed in sprout form – because the shell is much thinner than that of soybeans and other legumes, and tends to cause less flatulence.
Essential minerals
It stands out for its richness and variety of minerals. It is rich, above all, in magnesium, it also provides considerable doses of iron, and is a good source of phosphorus, which nourishes bones and is involved in energy production.
Complex carbohydrates
62% of dried mung beans are carbohydrates that They are slowly transformed into energy. It is the type of complex sugars that provide quality fuel for daily activities and prevent insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity and mood swings.
Energy vitamins
The mung bean provides very notable amounts of folic acid, as well as other B vitamins, including B1, B3 and B6, which help to better assimilate carbohydrates.
Particularly noteworthy is the content of vitamin B1 (0.27 mg/100 g, which would cover 23% of the recommended daily dose for an adult, vitamin B6 (17%) and vitamin B3 (8%).
In addition, it provides abundant folic acid (see box on the left), which protects the nervous system and is essential for tissue renewal and growth, and small but significant amounts of the coagulant vitamin K and antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin E and beta-carotene.
Fiber
The mung husk also provides a significant dose of fiber (16% by weight), essential to regulate the speed of intestinal transit and to feed the bacterial flora which is involved in the assimilation of nutrients and the immune system.
Benefits of green beans
Thanks to its nutritional composition, the presence of green beans in the diet only has positive consequences.
For children, young people and athletes
The abundance of protein, energy and micronutrients makes it an ideal food in growth stages, because it contributes to the development of tissues and organs. It is also suitable for people who make great physical efforts.
As it hardly provides fat or cholesterol, it promotes adequate levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood.
It is also considered that lecithin is indicated for people who perform intellectual works.
Good for bones
It provides in considerable doses the three essential minerals for the development and constant regeneration of bones: calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
Green soybeans in the kitchen
In the market you can find whole, split and even peeled mung beans, which aids digestion. But the most common way to consume them in the West is in a sprout salad, which is eaten raw or somewhat cooked and can be prepared at home very simply.
When they germinate, the beans multiply their concentration of nutrients and are pre-digested. Sprouts, crunchy, sweeter and more digestive, also have other advantages: They have vitamin C (unlike dried beans) and vital elements that disappear during cooking.
How to cook
To promote digestion and reduce cooking time, it is necessary to let them soak before cooking them, even if only for a few hours, as they soften more quickly than other legumes.
After that time, they should be rinsed and drained well. Likewise, to destroy the indigestible lectins that most legumes usually contain in their skin, they must be added to the pot with the water still cold.
To cook the mung bean, add three measures (by volume) of water or broth for each measure of dry legume. If it is a soup, a ratio of five to one is calculated.
Let them boil over high heat and uncovered for 2 or 3 minutes and then let them cook over low heat, adding a little cold water from time to time, until the legume is cooked.
It is important to remove it from the heat in time, just before the skin opens, allowing the cooking to finish off the stove. This prevents it from falling apart and turning into puree, since after a certain cooking point the mung bean softens very quickly.
To make it more digestive
A tasty way to facilitate its digestion is to season it with dill, fennel, cumin or thyme. You can also flavor the recipe with bay leaf, mint or parsley, and like the rest of the beans, it accepts spices and spicy-flavored ingredients very well.
As it is a consistent food, it should always be prepared accompanied by plenty of vegetables, a good salad or some cereal. As a legume, it combines well with almost all vegetables, especially spinach, chard or cabbage, and with roots such as parsnip or carrot.
While they are cooking, it is better not to stir them to prevent them from falling apart and, above all, add the salt at the end, when they are almost cooked, so that they do not harden.
What foods does it combine with?
With them one of the versions of the dahla staple dish from the foothills of the Himalayas to Kerala, where mung beans are mixed with rice porridge (kanji).
The delicate flavor of the mung bean does not dominate dishes and has the great virtue of infusing well with the flavors and aromas of the foods that accompany it.
For this reason, it is excellent in preparations of slow and long cooking, such as stews and casseroles, properly spiced and with a good proportion of vegetables or cereals that complement it from a nutritional point of view.
But mungos allow you to create a wide variety of dishes beyond the consistent stews with cereals and vegetables of the time. One of the most classic and complete is the kitcharithe basis of Ayurvedic or yoga cures, which simply combines white or brown basmati rice with mung beans.
Soups and creams, cold or warm salads, and stir-fries with sprouts are also prepared with them.