Mung Beans substitute

Substitutes for Mung Beans with ratios

1. 2Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount with about ¼ cup less liquid per cup

   Split hulled red lentils that collapse quickly into a puree.

   What changes

   Best for

   dal, soups, quick purees, savory fillings

   They cook much faster and much looser, so check them ten minutes early. The result is softer and wetter with a slightly earthy flavor and a pinkish tan color instead of pale yellow, so a filling will not hold a ball shape unless you cook the paste down noticeably drier.

2. 3Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas)

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount soaked 2 hours and cooked longer

   Split hulled chickpeas, firmer and nuttier than mung beans.

   What changes

   Best for

   savory dal, rustic fillings, stews

   Nuttier and much firmer, and it stays slightly grainy no matter how long you cook it, so it is good in a savory dal and too coarse for a smooth sweet paste unless you push it through a sieve. It needs both a soak and a longer simmer, so plan around it.

3. 4Whole Green or Brown Lentils

   Different taste

   Use the same amount

   Standard whole lentils, used where whole green mung beans are called for.

   What changes

   Best for

   soups, salads, stews, grain bowls

   They hold their shape through a simmer much like whole mung beans, so they work well where you want distinct beans in a broth. The flavor is earthier and less sweet, and the skins are a bit tougher. They will not sprout usefully, so this is a cooking swap only.

4. 5Adzuki Beans

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount

   Small red beans widely used in Asian sweets, cooked with sugar to a paste or left whole.

   What changes

   Best for

   che, sweet fillings, mooncakes, shaved ice toppings

   A traditional choice in its own right across Asian desserts, so it never tastes like a mistake. It is sweeter and richer with a firmer skin that stays noticeable in the mouth, and it turns the dessert purple-brown instead of pale yellow, so a che that should look creamy and blond looks dark instead.

5. 6No substitute: sprouting, and smooth pale pastes

   Taste and texture differ

   The two cases where only mung beans will do.

   What changes

   Best for

   bean sprouts, mooncake filling, banh cam, banh chung

   Nothing else in a pantry sprouts into bean sprouts, so if the recipe says sprout them, buy a bag of fresh sprouts instead. And for a mooncake or banh filling that must be smooth, pale and sweet, canned or frozen prepared mung bean paste from an Asian market beats any different bean.