Mung bean facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Mung bean

Mung beans

Dried and opened mung bean pod
Scientific classification
Genus:	Vigna
Species:	radiata
Synonyms
Azukia radiata (L.) Ohwi Phaseolus abyssinicus Savi Phaseolus chanetii (H.Lev.) H.Lev. Phaseolus hirtus Retz. Phaseolus novo-guineense Baker f. Phaseolus radiatus L. Phaseolus setulosus Dalzell Phaseolus sublobatus Roxb. Phaseolus trinervius Wight & Arn. Pueraria chanetii H.Lev. Rudua aurea (Roxb.) F.Maek. Rudua aurea (Roxb.) Maekawa Vigna brachycarpa Kurz Vigna opistricha A.Rich. Vigna perrieriana R.Vig. Vigna sublobata (Roxb.) Babu & S.K.Sharma Vigna sublobata (Roxb.) Bairig. & al.

Vigna radiata - MHNT

Mature seeds, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	1,452 kJ (347 kcal)

Carbohydrates	62.62 g
Sugars	6.6 g
Dietary fiber	16.3 g


Fat	1.15 g


Protein	28.86 g


Vitamins	Quantity %DV^†
Thiamine (B1)	54% 0.621 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	19% 0.233 mg
Niacin (B3)	14% 2.251 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	38% 1.91 mg
Vitamin B6	29% 0.382 mg
Folate (B9)	156% 625 μg
Vitamin C	6% 4.8 mg
Vitamin E	3% 0.51 mg
Vitamin K	9% 9 μg


Minerals	Quantity %DV^†
Calcium	13% 132 mg
Iron	52% 6.74 mg
Magnesium	53% 189 mg
Manganese	49% 1.035 mg
Phosphorus	52% 367 mg
Potassium	42% 1246 mg
Zinc	28% 2.68 mg

Link to USDA Database entry
^†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.

Mature seeds, sprouted, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	126 kJ (30 kcal)

Carbohydrates	5.94 g
Sugars	4.13 g
Dietary fiber	1.8 g


Fat	0.18 g


Protein	3.04 g


Vitamins	Quantity %DV^†
Thiamine (B1)	7% 0.084 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	10% 0.124 mg
Niacin (B3)	5% 0.749 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	8% 0.38 mg
Vitamin B6	7% 0.088 mg
Folate (B9)	15% 61 μg
Vitamin C	16% 13.2 mg
Vitamin E	1% 0.1 mg
Vitamin K	31% 33 μg


Minerals	Quantity %DV^†
Calcium	1% 13 mg
Iron	7% 0.91 mg
Magnesium	6% 21 mg
Manganese	9% 0.188 mg
Phosphorus	8% 54 mg
Potassium	5% 149 mg
Zinc	4% 0.41 mg

Link to USDA Database entry
^†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.

Boiled mung beans
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	441 kJ (105 kcal)

Carbohydrates	19.15 g
Sugars	2 g
Dietary fiber	7.6 g


Fat	0.38 g


Protein	7.02 g


Vitamins	Quantity %DV^†
Thiamine (B1)	14% 0.164 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	5% 0.061 mg
Niacin (B3)	4% 0.577 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	8% 0.41 mg
Vitamin B6	5% 0.067 mg
Folate (B9)	40% 159 μg
Vitamin C	1% 1 mg
Vitamin E	1% 0.15 mg
Vitamin K	3% 2.7 μg


Minerals	Quantity %DV^†
Calcium	3% 27 mg
Iron	11% 1.4 mg
Magnesium	14% 48 mg
Manganese	14% 0.298 mg
Phosphorus	14% 99 mg
Potassium	9% 266 mg
Zinc	9% 0.84 mg

Link to USDA Database entry
^†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.

Mung seeds from Deccan Plateau, India

Mung legumes from India

The mung bean (Vigna radiata) is a small, green plant from the legume family. It is also known as the green gram. People grow mung beans mainly in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. They are used in many different dishes, both sweet and savory.

What are Mung Beans?
- Plant Description and Names
- Scientific Classification
How Mung Beans are Used
History of Mung Bean Cultivation
Images for kids
See also

What are Mung Beans?

Plant Description and Names

The green gram is an annual vine. This means it grows and lives for only one year. It has yellow flowers and fuzzy brown pods.

The English word mung comes from the Hindi word "moong". This word itself comes from the ancient Sanskrit word "mudga".

Scientific Classification

Mung beans are part of the Vigna group of plants. Before the 1970s, they were known by different scientific names like Phaseolus aureus. Scientists changed their classification to Vigna radiata.

How Mung Beans are Used

Green gram dal

Mung beans are a very popular food in many parts of Asia. They can be used in different forms.

Whole Mung Beans and Paste

Whole mung beans are usually dried first. Then, they are boiled until they become soft. When their green skins are removed, the beans are light yellow. You can also make a paste from mung beans by removing their skins, cooking them, and then grinding them into a dry paste.

Mung Beans in South Asia

In India, people often use mung beans without their skins. In some parts of India, like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, whole mung beans are boiled. They are often served with rice porridge. This dish is called kanji or pesalu.

Summer Moong is a type of mung bean crop grown in northern India. It grows quickly, so farmers can plant it between other crops. It needs a hot climate to grow well.

In some Indian cuisines, the outer coats of mung beans are removed to make dal. In Bangladesh, this split bean is used to make a soup-like dish called moog dal.

In South India, steamed whole beans are mixed with spices and fresh coconut. This dish is called "pesalu" or "sundal". In Andhra Pradesh, a batter made from ground whole mung beans is used to make a type of dosa called pesarattu.

Mung Beans in East Asia

In Chinese cooking, whole mung beans are used to make a sweet dessert soup called lǜdòu tángshuǐ. This soup can be served warm or cold. Mung beans are also often cooked with rice to make congee (a type of rice porridge).

In Hong Kong, people make ice cream or frozen ice pops from hulled mung beans and mung bean paste. Mung bean paste is also a common filling for Chinese mooncakes in East China and Taiwan. During the Dragon Boat Festival, boiled and shelled mung beans are used as a filling in glutinous rice dumplings.

In Korea, skinned mung beans are soaked and ground into a thick batter. This batter is used to make Korean pancakes called bindae-tteok.

Mung Beans in Southeast Asia

In the Philippines, ginisáng monggó is a savory stew made with whole mung beans, prawns, or fish. It is often eaten on Fridays during Lent.

Mung bean paste is also a common filling for pastries like hopia in Indonesia and the Philippines. In Indonesia, mung beans are made into a dessert snack called es kacang hijau. This is a porridge-like dish cooked with sugar, coconut milk, and ginger.

Mung Beans in the Middle East

In some parts of the Middle East, mung beans and rice are a main food. They are cooked together in a dish called maash wa ruzz, which means "mung beans and rice".

Ginisang monggo with ampalaya and shrimp
Indian mung dal
Mung bean dessert
Hopia filled with mung bean paste
Mung-bean fry
Korean mung bean pancakes (Hangul: 빈대떡) being cooked
Mung pakon, traditional Bengali pitha, Bangladesh.

Mung Bean Sprouts

These sprouts are ready to be cooked.

Chinese-style preparation of homegrown mung bean sprouts.

Mung bean sprouts are grown by soaking mung beans in water. They are usually called "bean sprouts". These sprouts are often stir-fried in Chinese cooking with garlic, ginger, or spring onions.

In Vietnam, uncooked bean sprouts are used in spring rolls and as a garnish for phở soup. They are also a key ingredient in many Malaysian dishes like char kway teow.

In Korea, lightly cooked mung bean sprouts, called sukjunamul, are a common side dish. They are quickly boiled, cooled, and mixed with sesame oil, garlic, and salt. In the Philippines, mung bean sprouts are used to make lumpia rolls.

In India, mung bean sprouts are cooked with green chili, garlic, and other spices. In Indonesia, sprouts are used as fillings for dishes like tahu isi (stuffed tofu). In Japan, these sprouts are called moyashi.

Mung Bean Starch

Mung bean starch is taken from ground mung beans. This starch is used to make clear cellophane noodles. These noodles are also known as glass noodles or bean thread noodles. They become soft and slippery when soaked in hot water.

In Korea, a jelly called nokdumuk is made from mung bean starch. In northern China, mung bean jelly is called liangfen. It is a popular food during summer.

Mung bean batter is also used to make crepes called pesarattu in India and pancakes called bindaetteok in Korea.

Plant-Based Protein

Mung beans are becoming more popular in foods that replace meat and eggs. For example, they are used in products like Beyond Meat and Just Egg.

History of Mung Bean Cultivation

Mung beans were first grown by people in India. The wild version of the mung bean (Vigna radiata subspecies sublobata) still grows there.

Scientists have found old mung beans at many ancient sites in India. Some of these finds are from about 4,500 years ago in the Harappan Civilisation. Other finds in South India are more than 4,000 years old. This suggests that mung beans might have been domesticated in two different parts of India. By about 3,500 years ago, mung beans were grown all over India.

Later, cultivated mung beans spread from India to China and Southeast Asia. For example, archaeological research shows that mung beans arrived in Thailand at least 2,200 years ago.

Images for kids

Sichuan-style spicy liangfen