Moong

Botanical name

• Vigna radiata

Also called

• • Green gram

  • Mung

Moong is a legume available as whole dried beans, bean sprouts, and dhal (outer green skin removed and split). While sprouted moong is readily available in supermarkets, if I'm making moong bean curry, I prefer to sprout my own.

How to sprout moong beans

• 1. Soak moong overnight or for 7-8 hours. Drain and rinse.

  2. There will usually be a few hard seeds that haven't softened with the soaking that will need to be picked out. To do this, spread the moong on a clean old tea towel or a piece of muslin and pick through the beans, pushing the soaked swollen seeds to one side and picking out and discarding any hard seeds.

  3. Once you've picked through the seeds, pile them in the centre of the tea towel/muslin and wrap into a bundle. Twist the bundle and put in the bowl, twisted side down.

  4. In warm weather the sprouts should be ready for use in curry dishes in a day; it will take longer in cold weather. Make sure the cloth is kept damp until the beans have sprouted. Rinse the sprouts and drain. If not using straight away. Refrigerate.

Moong dhal

Moong dhal (split moong), like any other lentil can be used to make dhal, either by itself or mixed with other lentils. Moong has a more subtle, creamy flavour compared to other lentils and if making dhal, it's best to keep it quite plain and not season it with too many spices or other ingredients.

Whole moon beans can also be made into a dhal but because the green skin adds a slight bitterness to the dish, it needs stronger flavourings of ginger, garlic and spices.

The moong dhal is also used for making sweet dishes, including payasam, a south Indian lentil pudding.

Note: The word dhal on this page is

used to refer both to the

split moong and to the lentil dish that most Indians refer to as dhal.