(Here is the post that got deleted last week 🙂
For a long time I had been confused with the different names given to this mineral rich legume. Some books would specify as bean and some as dal. And what would boggle my mind more was when they would say whole or split or green whole or green split. But then the dishes would be made with yellow dal. But dint the book mention green? And so when out doing our weekly grocery shopping, I would just wander from shelf to shelf clueless as to which variety the recipe actually required.And finally I came across a book that gave satisfying answers to my question! Well here goes….What are Legumes?Before I move onto the answers & benefits, let me first give an intro on legumes. Legumes are plant in the pea family which split open naturally along a seam to reveal a row of seeds. Legumes comprise 2 varieties – mature & immature.
Mature varieties, called as pulses are dried seeds that are found inside pods that hang from stem of certain plants.
Peas & green beans which are commonly called as vegetables are actually immature legumes. These are harvested before maturing on the plant.
Some well known legumes include peas, beans (edible kidney shaped seeds), lentils (pulses in dried form, to be soaked & cooked before use), peanuts, alfalfa, clover.
Dals
Dals regularly make their appearance in Indian meals. No every day Indian meal is complete without dals in some form. Dals include – tur da (pigeon pea), mung dal, urad dal (black gram), masoor dal and so on..
Mung Dal
Now coming to the main topic – mung bean or dal? Mung bean has been found in India since may centuries now. Archeologically speaking, there is evidence that mung has been growing in India since 1800 BC atleast. Remains of it have been found at archeological sites all over India. The sanskrit name was mudga.
* When the mung is whole & covered with its green skin, it is called ‘green gram’ or ‘mung bean’ or simply as ‘mung’.
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* Then the green layer is stripped off the timy bean & is split into two to reveal a golden yellow layer underneath. It is then called ‘mung dal’.
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Thus mung is a bean, lentil & gram.
Benefits of Mung :
This rich in protein dal has the following benefits :
* Mung bean is an excellent source of Vitamin B1 and thus helps maintain a healthy heart & steady heart beat.
* Vitamin B2 in mung bean helps to maintain healthy eyes & skin.
* Mung bean are also a soirce of Vitamin B3, which control cholestrol and blood sugar levels.
* Mung bean is also loaded with Vitamin B6 – this helps in production of suotonin, a harmone that helps keep you in a good mood!
* Moung bean are also a source of iron (key to haemoglobin production & healthy blood) & copper without which iron cannot produce haemaglobin.
* Mung also contain zinc – in the absence of which body`s insulin response decreases, making blood sugar levels erratic.
* Mung also contain significant amounts of magnesium. Magnesium help to calm the nerves and relaxes muscles.
Why is ‘Mung; superior ?
Dal/ broth/ soup made from mung is more beneficial than those made from other pulses. This is because, while other lentils do have beneficial properties, it is mung which is easiest to digest.
Also, mung is alkaline in nature and thus categorized as cooling food as per Ayurveda.
Mung thus is beneficial to all people – children, elderly, athletes, diabetics & heart patients etc! So introduce this wonder dal – mung in your diet regularly..!
Source : How The Banana Goes to Heaven, by Ratna Rajaiah
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