Mung beans are a staple ingredient in ayurvedic cooking and although cooling in energy they are considered a tridoshic legume. With a sweet and astringent taste, they are the easiest of all legumes to digest especially if they are pre-soaked .
Split mung beans which are hulled, yellow in colour and split in half. Whole mung beans are easier to digest when they are sprouted. This is done by soaking them for 3-4 days and rinsing twice a day.
Soaking beans before cooking, increases digestibility and reduces gas beacause it makes some of the nutrition readily available. Cooking mung beans with a pinch of hing (Asafoetida) which is available at Indian groceries and most supermarkets along with a stick of Kombu seaweed also aids digestion.
Mung beans are full of protein. one cup pf mung beans hold nearly 28% of protein needed for the day. Mixed with grains like rice they provide a great source if complete vegetable protein and more so when mixed with more protein rich grains.
High in fiber a cup of cooked mung beans provides over 40% of the recommended daily fiber. The soluble and insoluble Fiber helps to clean the colon scraping unwanted residue and toxins making them a good choice of food for detoxification. In fact, Kitcherie or kichadhi is one of the main foods used in Ayurvedic panchakarma and cleansing diets.
Good for the blood, the skin, they eye the bones, the brain and the gut,
Rich in iron, folate, magnesium and phosphorous, these littles beans are packed with nutrition and can be cooked in a variety of ways including dhals, soups and kitcheries.
