The many benefits of Moong Dal

Moong Dal is Packed with protein and low carbs, green gram otherwise known as moong dal is one of the best vegetarian superfoods. An integral part of the Indian diet, it is a good and filling option for those who want to shed kilos.

Yellow moong dal is extremely light and easy to digest. It is easier to cook but lacks the fiber content of whole green moong. Compared to other dals, moong dal is one of the low carb pulses available. Other pulses are high in protein but carbs too.

Moong beans are a good source of protein for vegetarians. Though meat still ranks the first in protein content, moong dal is also not far behind. A 100 gm serving of moong dal can provide you with 24 gm protein.

Whole Moong Dal (100 gm serving)

Energy 347 kcal

Protein 23.86g

Total Fat 1.15g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 15mg

Total Carbohydrates 62.62g

Dietary Fiber 16.3g

Sugars 6.6g

Skinned Moong Dal (100 gm serving)

Energy 351 kcal

Protein 25g

Total Fat 1.2g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 28mg

Total Carbohydrates 60g

Dietary Fiber 12g

Sugars 3g

Source: USDA and caloriecount.about.com

Preparation

Sprouted moong dal is a powerhouse of nutrition. They contain abundant enzymes, protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Select good quality seeds for sprouting. Clean and wash the moong beans and soak overnight or for 7-8 hours (see to it that the beans are submerged in water). The day after, rinse the beans well and drain the water. Now look at the seeds below. They should be swollen and plump. Some may have even sprouted lightly.

Drain the water completely. Wet a thin cotton cloth, squeeze out excess water, transfer the moong beans in it and hang it loosely to drain remaining water if any. Then keep the cloth along with the moong beans in a vessel at room temperature. Cover with a lid and leave it overnight undisturbed. (The cloth should be damp and care should be taken to ensure that there is no water stagnant in the vessel.) On the third day, you will see that the seeds have sprouted well. If you are not going to use immediately, it can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.

Moong dal can be pressure-cooked along with chopped onions, tomatoes, chillies and ginger-garlic paste, and then tempered with jeera in ghee. Cooked moong dal along with jaggery and milk is used in Tamil Nadu to make an elaichi-tinged kheer called payasam. It can be soaked in water and ground into a batter for dal dosa or uttappam. Split lentils don’t hold their shape well, so they’re often cooked into soups or purées. Boiled moong dal is also used as a stuffing for parathas.

Recipes

Moong Dal soup

Ingredients

100 g moong dal

60 g onions

1 tsp oil

1 tsp salt

Method

1. Boil the green gram in a slow cooker. You may need to add 500ml of water to cook the lentils.
2. Heat oil. Add sliced onions, mustard and chillies. After a couple of minutes, add the cooked lentils and add salt. Let it boil for a few minutes, then serve.

Total calorie count (for 42.6g)

Protein 6.6g

Fat 1.4g

Carbs 16.4g

Moong Dal Chila

Ingredients

250 g moong dal (green gram), soaked in water for an hour

4-5 pieces of green chillies

¼ tsp hing (asafoetida)

1 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)

1 onion, finely-chopped

1 tomato, finely-chopped

10 ml oil

Salt to taste

Method

1. Wash the soaked moong dal thoroughly and drain the excess water.
2. Put moong dal, green chillies, salt, haldi and hing in a grinder and grind into a smooth paste. You can add little water if required.
3. Pour the batter in a large container and check the seasoning by just taking a bit of batter on your forefinger and tasting it. It is important because once you have made the chilas, you will not be able to adjust the taste.
4. Now switch on the gas and put a pan on the stove. Pour a tablespoon of oil and let it heat. Now roast a piece of loaf or a chappati over it and then remove it. Wipe the tava with a kitchen towel and then sprinkle some water. Be careful and just move away from the tava after sprinkling water. Wipe it again with the kitchen towel.
5. Now again pour a tablespoon of oil on the tava and heat it. This time pour two big spoons of batter on tava and spread it evenly like ‘dosa’. If you are not an expert in making dosa and chila then start with small chila by pouring just one big spoon of batter.
6. When one side is cooked, apply some oil on the surface of the chila and then carefully flip it to the other side. While the other side it being cooked, just keep some chopped onions, green chillies, tomatoes and green coriander at the centre of chila and fold in half. Keep it for a second and then take it out on a plate.
7. Follow the procedure to make more chilas. Serve hot with green coriander chutney.

Total calorie content

Energy 71.7 kcal

Protein 1.3g

Total Fat 0.4g

Total Carbohydrates 5.2g

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Written by Surbhi Sharma

Don’t start a diet with an expiration date in mind, says Surbhi Sharma. Instead, focus on developing a lifestyle that will have long-term health benefits. An advocate of eating well, but smartly, Surbhi has a diploma in dietetics and public health nutrition from Delhi University. She has also done professional certification courses on nutrition, packaging and food safety run by the Indian Dietetic Association and AIIMS and has counselled athletes and coaches under the Healthy Athletes Health Promotion Program held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. She believes that by eating right, one can solve various problems, including weight management, diabetes, cardiac diseases and other lifestyle disorders. Advising friends and family what food should be consumed in good amount and what in moderation, she’ll extend this expertise and more to HealthifyMe users. Personally, she believes in the merits of small and frequent meals, and feels diet and lifestyle changes need to be embraced by the family as a whole. It’s a team task that she looks forward to captaining!