If you've ever eaten the thick, white bean sprouts located in the produce section of your grocery store, you've had one form of mung bean. In their whole, dried form, mung beans are small and round. The unpeeled beans are brown, while the peeled beans can be yellow, green or black. In Asian cuisine, mung beans are an essential component of curries, bean thread noodles and the traditional Indian dish known as dal. No type of mung beans require presoaking, but the quickest cooking form are split mung beans.
On the Stovetop
Step 1.
Put the mung beans into a colander or strainer. Rinse the beans under cool, running water. Remove and discard all discolored beans, debris or bits of rock.
Step 2.
Put the beans into a large saucepan. Pour in 3 cups of cold water for every 1 cup of dried mung beans you use.
Step 3.
Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to allow the mixture to simmer and put the pan's lid in place. Cook until the beans have reached your desired level of tenderness, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Step 4.
Drain the mung beans and use as desired.
In the Pressure Cooker
Step 1.
Put the mung beans into a colander or strainer. Rinse the beans under cool, running water. Remove and discard all discolored beans, debris or bits of rock.
Step 2.
Put the beans into the pressure cooker. Pour in 8 cups of cold water for every 1 pound, or 2 cups, of beans you are using. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil.
Step 3.
Put the cooker's lid in place and bring to high pressure over high heat. Turn the heat to medium and cook the mung beans for six to eight minutes.
Step 4.
Allow the pressure to decrease to normal before removing the cooker's lid and checking the beans for doneness.
Step 5.
Replace the cooker's lid, return to high pressure and cook for an additional two minutes if the mung beans are not as tender as you would like.
Step 6.
Remove the mung beans and use as desired.
Things You Will Need
Split mung beans
Colander or strainer
Large saucepan with tight-fitting lid
Pressure cooker
Canola oil
Tip
For every 1 cup of dry mung beans, plan on having 3 cups of cooked beans. If you have more cooked beans than you can use at once, store the extra in an airtight container covered with their cooking liquid. They will stay good in the refrigerator for five days or up to six months in the freezer.
Use cooked mung beans in stir-fries, as a bruschetta topping, in tossed green or pasta salads or as an ingredient in vegetarian bean burgers.
Substitute split mung beans in any recipe that calls for lentils or split peas.
Warning
When using a pressure cooker to prepare mung beans, be sure to carefully follow the instructions included with your specific brand of cooker.
