MUNG BEAN

It is called the Golden gram, the seed of Vigna radiata. Part of the legume family. A native to the Indian subcontinent and mainly cultivated in Philippines, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Burma and Indonesia, but also in hot and dry regions of Southern Europe and the Southern United States.

Characteristics

• Mung bean is an upright annual legume ranging in height from 15 cm to 1 m. The average height of a mature plant is 0.9 m. Its branches are free, but not heavily foliaged.
• Its leaves, stems and pods are slightly hairy. Junctions of branches and stems are stipuled. The first flowers appear seven to eight weeks after planting and the crop reaches maturity in 12 to 14 weeks.
• Pods borne at top of plant. Pods clothed in long, spreading, deciduous silky hairs.

Uses

Mung beans are used as an ingredient in both savory and sweet dishes. Which are commonly used across Asia. In Chinese cuisine, whole mung beans are used to make a tángshuǐ, served either warm or chilled. In Indonesia, they are made into es kacang hijau, which has the consistency of a porridge The beans are cooked with sugar, coconut milk, and a little ginger. Additionally, when mung beans are made into paste, they are made to common filling of pastries known as hopia (or bakpia) popular in Indonesia.