Description:
A tiny, round dried bean (about 1/8 inch in diameter) with a thick outer skin that may be green, brown or black in colour. When peeled, the inside of the bean provides a golden yellow or mustard-coloured, soft-textured meat that is somewhat sweet in flavour, tender when cooked and easily digested. Originating in India, the bean is referred to as Yellow Moong, Yellow Split Mung or Moong Dal, where it is often used to make curries and a food dish referred to as "Dal." making batters for pancakes and fritters.
How to select:
whole moong dal or green gram, are small, oval and olive green in colour. When split, they are small, flattish and yellow.
Use:
Moong beans are prepared as whole, peeled, or split for use in pilafs, soups, stews, and bean dishes. They are also ground for use in flours and as an ingredient for various food mixtures. When made into flour, the starch in the ground bean enables it to be used to make very thin noodle known as bean-threads or cellophane noodles. The flour also is used to make breads and sweets. Another common use for this bean is to produce transparent bean sprouts, which become a crunchy and flavourful ingredient for salads, egg dishes, stir-fried dishes, and sandwiches. Moong dal is popularly cooked with generous amount of clarified butter or ghee, sugar, nuts and spices to make the delicious sweet "Moong Dal Halwa". It is also used in Spiced rice and moong dal is one of the most complete and quick meals you can make.
How to store:
The bean can be easily sprouted in approximately 2 days by dampening cheesecloth and placing the beans between the layers of the cloth, kept in a darkened room or area. After sprouting, place the bean sprouts in a plastic bag, refrigerate and use soon after being grown. If not using them soon after sprouting, blanche the sprouts for 30 to 45 seconds in boiling water, then place the sprouts in ice water, refrigerate, and keep immersed in water. They can then be kept refrigerated for approximately 1 week.
Health benefits:
Whole yellow lentils are split to obtain moong dal. They are extremely easy to cook, need little soaking and are easy to digest.
|
