mung beans

[TinaDancer]

I got the great idea of buying mung beans because all the health nuts in my life love them…but I have no idea how to cook them. Little help?

[TracyK]

Mung beans are very nutritious and they’re easy to cook with. You can eat them plain or mix them with vegetables and other spices. Cooking the beans are simple. Usually the package will provide you with directions, but I typically boil 3 cups of water in a saucepan and then add 1 cup of mung beans to it. Once you’ve added the beans to the water, cover the saucepan and turn the head down to low. You’ll want to simmer the beans on low for about 45 – 60 minutes, basically until the beans have absorbed all of the water (keep in mind this is if your mung beans are whole. If you are cooking split or peeled mung beans you’ll want to cook them for 20 – 30 minutes instead).

That’s pretty much how you cook them. However, if you want an actual recipe, this is my favorite one: After cooking the beans I melt 2 tbsp of ghee in a frying pan or skillet that is on medium-high heat. I then add spices like curry powder, garlic, and turmeric (spices should make up about a ¼ tsp combined). Add the mung beans to your spiced mixture and cook for 5 minutes on medium-high. Finally, add about a 1/2 cup of chopped and steamed mixed veggies. What I found tastes really good with mung beans are tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas, and green beans.

[WolfMoon]

I’ve never even heard of mung beans before. They sound interesting. I’m assuming because they are a bean they are very healthy for you. How are the good for you?

TracyK – what is ghee?

[KraftMan]

what is ghee?

It's a kind of butter they make in india. I've seen it in the "ethnic" part of my supermarket. It's unsalted

[Whirlybird]

If you want to cut down the cooking time that you need to boil the mung beans (if you're like me and you need to boil it for an hour, you just won't do it) then just soak them in water overnight. Or when you get up in the morning, soak them, and they'll be ready for you to cook by supper time. Then you'll only need to cook them for around 20 minutes or until they are soft.