In Ayurvedic or Yogic cooking Mung beans are considered a superfood. It has been used for a long time( as early as 1500 BC in the Indian Subcontinent so it’s been used in Ayurvedic cooking for a long time). Mung beans are high in magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium They’re also a great source of potassium. As Mung beans are high in folate, iron, and protein, which is good for pregnancy, it is also mainly used for developing strong immunity and nourishing. It can be easily found in local grocery stores in 3 different forms; Whole green gram, split mung beans, and yellow mung dal. It is a very common household dal in India and Nepal but mung beans are widely used in most Asian countries for their versatile recipe. There is no limit to what are forms of moong dal can be used in our cooking system. So I am sharing one of the popular street food prepared by Mung beans.

Here in this blog, I am trying to share one of the most popular street food called Phambi in the small hill towns of Kalimpong, India. It is believed that this special phambi is only available in Kalimpong and don’t know when and how it started. when I was a student in Kalimpong I have seen making Fing similar to glass noodles or vermicelli which is widely used in curry dishes that go well with either meat or vegetables. This dish is mostly used in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas. Phumbi is the end product of fing . if you want to make Phambi yourself I guess it takes at least three days. It has a long process to make it. But this Phumbi is still easily available in the street near the schools or offices of Kalimpong. as they still make fing but recently I heard that they use yellow split peas mixed together with mung beans just to make it cost-efficient. Soon I will post the detailed recipe for making phumbi if you are interested to learn. There is another similar item called Laphing a Tibetan noodles which is very popular in the form of street foods in Kathmandu, Nepal. But mostly in our kitchen, we cook it as Dal or sometimes make moong dal khichadi which is also very common in Ayurvedic cooking.

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Besides Mung Dal for daily meals as Dal rice and curry, we often soak whole beans overnight in water to get them Sprouted and microgreens made from the whole green mung beans are considered as living foods that nourish our body with high nutrients and it also has detoxifying content. It also supports skin health. if there are sick and elderly people in the house we make thin watery consistency of mung dal for easy digestion and provide all the nutrients. Even moong dal powder is used as face masks mixed with water, yogurt, and honey. but My best part is mung dal khichadi. Not only beans but the roots are useful for making energy drinks. So consider using it in any form or way you like.

Since it is not only delicious and versatile but has lots of health benefits including lowering cholesterol, weight loss, may lower blood sugar level, heart-healthy, good for pregnancy, and other health benefits because of high in nutrients and antioxidants, So why not include it in our diet?

Please comment what’s your favorite recipe for mung beans or Dal?

Note: it’s just an article, not a diet plan, please consult your doctor before making your diet plan.