Mungbean

Mung bean (pronounced mung–been)

(1) A plant, Vigna radiata, of the legume family, cultivated for its edible seeds, pods, and young sprouts.

(2) The seed or pod of this plant.

1905-1910: The English form is from the earlier moong (from the Hindi mū̃g, variant of mūg and the Prakrit mugga and Sanskrit mudga).  The traditional form is mung bean, mungbean is an accepted alternative and it’s never been hyphenated.

A plant species in the legume family, the mungbean (Vigna radiata) is known also as the green gram, in Persian as maash (ماش‎), in Sanskrit as moong (मुद्ग (Romanized as mudga)) and in the Philippines as monggo, or munggo.  Technically, it’s the mung bean but mugbean emerged as an alternative form as early as the 1970s.  Used as an ingredient in both savory and sweet dishes, it’s grown in many countries but the largest areas in cultivation are in India, China, and Southeast Asia.

Vegan Mung Bean Stew

Ingredients

½ cup raw mung beans

5 potatoes, peeled and quartered

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

5 button mushrooms, sliced

4 small tomatoes, quartered

2 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

(1) Preheat oven to 400^o F (200^o C).

(2) Place mung beans in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 10 minutes. Lower heat to medium, and simmer until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain beans into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

(3) Meanwhile, place the potatoes in saucepan, cover with water, and stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook just until potatoes begin to soften when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

(4) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock, and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook vegetable mixture 5 minutes more. Combine with the mung beans and potatoes in an oven-proof casserole. Cover with a lid.

(5) Bake in pre-heated oven until mixture bubbles which will typically take about 30 minutes.