LaCook - Mung Beans

Mung Beans
from Taiwan

Mung Beans or green beans are from Asia. It is a small dried bean, usually has green skin outside and yellow flesh inside. Mung beans cannot be eaten raw, and they are only available dried, with or without green skin. It is commonly used to grow bean sprouts. Mung beans and bean sprouts are widely used in Chinese cooking. When cooked it has a subtle sweet flavor. Dried mung beans are also ground into flour to make special green bean noodles such as *mung beans threads*. There are thin and wide beans threads. Picture shown below is one pack of dried wide mung beans threads. Wide threads are most often added to mung beans for flavor as sweet dessert.
	Soak the threads in water for 2 hours before cooking.
You can find mung beans in Chinese markets and some supermarkets. Click here for Nutrition Facts.

TIP: You need to sort, rinse, and soak the mung beans before cooking.

To sort and rinse dried beans, spread the beans in one thin layer on your palm or platter, pick out and discard any ill-colored, bad-shaped beans and any impurities such as small stones. Rinse well with cold water to clean up the beans. Then pour beans in a bowl of cold water, let soak at least for 5 hours to soften the beans before any further cooking processes. Soak overnight is highly recommended. To cook mung beans, place beans in a stockpot with water, cover and bring to a boil, remove cover, and let cook for 20 minutes over medium heat. While doing the cooking, you can tell if beans are done or not. When you see most of the beans are broken in the middle or have their skins peeled, they are done.

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