mung bean

mung bean, (Vigna radiata), legume plant of the pea family (Fabaceae), grown for its edible seeds and young sprouts. The mung bean is likely native to the Indian subcontinent and is widely cultivated in Asia for use in a variety of sweet and savory dishes, particularly in India, China, Korea, and Thailand. It is also grown in relatively dry tropical and subtropical areas, including the Caribbean and parts of Africa. Like other culinary beans, mung beans are high in dietary fibre and protein and are also a source of iron, magnesium, potassium, and a number of essential amino acids.

Physical description

The mung bean is a fast-growing erect or semi-erect annual plant with a sturdy taproot. Like many other members of the pea family, mung bean plants add nitrogen to the soil by means of nitrogen-fixing bacteria housed in nodules on their roots. The compound leaves alternate along the branching stems and have three leaflets that are roughly triangular to ovate. The small pale yellow or greenish flowers grow in dense clusters and are insect-pollinated. The resulting legume fruits, borne in pendulous whorls, are long and straight, and they turn dark at maturity; each pod holds up to 20 small seeds. The most common mung bean cultivar bears green seeds, but yellow, brown, and mottled green variations also occur.

Uses

The beans themselves are cooked fresh or dry and have a mild, slightly sweet flavour. They are often used in curries, soups, and porridge, and split seeds are made into dal throughout the Indian subcontinent. Fermented beans are used as an ingredient in a number of dishes. Dried beans can be processed into a starchy flour used to make bread or transparent mung bean noodles. Mung bean paste is used to make frozen desserts in a number of Asian countries.

The seeds germinate easily, and fresh, barely sprouted seeds are sometimes used as a salad topping. More commonly, mung bean sprouts are harvested after a few days of growth and are eaten raw or cooked in stir-fries, sandwiches, or soups. Immature seed pods and young leaves are also eaten as a vegetable.

Agriculturally, mung bean are particularly valuable as a soil-enriching crop and are useful as cover crops and as green manure. Yellow gram, a low-producing cultivar with yellow seeds, is often grown for this purpose. The plants are also used as livestock fodder.