Mung Beans For Dal

Asked by Neevo. Answered on 25th October 2020

Full question

I’ve got the Canadian edition of the At My Table book and was delighted to see a recipe to use up the mung beans I’d bought for sprouting but never used, but when I went to look up the European measurements online I saw them referred to as yellow mung lentils so now I’m not sure I have the right ingredients! They certainly fit the “vibrant khaki” description in the intro. Will they work or will they require longer cooking? Thanks.

Image of Nigella's Mung Bean Dal — Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Softly Spiced Mung Beans with Mint and Coriander Yogurt

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Mung Bean Dal With Mint And Coriander Raita (from AT MY TABLE) has a thick, spicy stew of dried beans and lentils accompanied by a cooling coconut-milk yogurt that can be served either as a side dish, main course or as a part of a vegan banquet. The combination of beans and lentils means that the dish thickens as it cooks and has some contrasting textures.

The recipe does use the khaki green mung beans and not yellow lentils. Unfortunately it seems that there was a problem when the recipe was loaded up to the website but we thank you for flagging this to us and it is being corrected. The cooking time should be correct for whole mung beans, although mung beans, as with all dried legumes, may require longer cooking if they have been stored for a long time. Simmer the beans and lentils until both are soft (the lentils will soften more quickly) and if the cooking time is longer then add a splash or two of extra water of the pan starts to look too dry.