Mung bean
From Freepedia
| Mung bean | ||||||||||||||
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| Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek | ||||||||||||||
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The mung bean is the seed of Vigna radiata which is native to India. It is also known as green gram, golden gram and (misleadingly) green soy. In the Philippines, it is called mungo or mongo.
The mung bean is one of many species recently moved from the genus Phaseolus to Vigna and is still often seen cited as Phaseolus aureus or Phaseolus radiatus. These are all the same plant.
Mung beans are commonly used in Chinese cooking. Germinated mung bean sprouts (usually sold simply as 'bean sprouts') are stir fried (usually with ingredients such as garlic, ginger, spring onions or salted fish pieces to add taste) as a vegetable accompaniment to a meal. Uncooked bean sprouts are used in filling for Vietnamese spring rolls. Mung beans are also used to make a sweet soup, served either warm or chilled. In several Asian countries, mung bean ice cream and frozen ice lollipops are popular desserts. Mung beans are ground to make transparent cellophane noodles (also known as glass noodles, fen si or tung hoon). Glass noodles become soft and slippery when they are soaked in hot water.
Mung beans in Indian cuisine are stripped of their outer coats to make mung dal. Mung beans are widely consumed by keralites along with kanji (rice gruel).
Mung beans are also made into a popular Indonesian desert snack. The beans are cooked with sugar, coconut milk, and a little ginger. The dish is something that looks like a porridge.
