Green gram, also known as mung bean, has been cultivated exclusively for the seeds that are contained in the plant's pod. Used since ancient times in Indian and Chinese cuisine, mung beans have migrated throughout the Far East and Southeast Asia. Nutritious and mild in flavor, green gram takes on the flavor of the spices and other ingredients added to it. When mung beans are dried and halved, they go by various names, including green gram dal.
Green gram is a small, oval-shaped bean that you can cook before or after soaking. Once cooked, the bean is sweet and soft in texture, and it is easily digested, so it doesn't produce flatulence like many other legumes. The mung bean has an olive green husk and a dark-mustard-colored interior. The dried bean is often split to expedite cooking and sold as green dal. If it has been hulled before splitting, only the yellow endosperm remains, and the bean goes by various names including moong dal and mung dal. Green gram dal, which still has the husks, maintains its shape better when cooking, while moong dal becomes soft and mushy like porridge. Because of their soft consistency, dals are used for stews, soups, salads and desserts.
Like other beans, the mung bean is a rich source of low-fat protein. One cup of mature, boiled beans contains 14 g of protein, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unlike many other plant-based sources of protein, mung beans have a wide amino-acid profile, providing at least some of every type of amino acid. Green gram dal contains virtually no trans or saturated fats. It does contain a small amount of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.
One cup of cooked green gram dal has a whopping 15 g of fiber. It contains both insoluble and water-soluble fiber, which together yield varied benefits. Fiber scrubs your intestinal tract as it makes its way through your digestive system. It fills you up, sating your appetite. Water-soluble fiber reduces LDL cholesterol -- the "lousy" cholesterol -- and reduces risk for cardiovascular disease.
Because of the high amount of fiber, green gram dal is considered low-glycemic. It digests slowly and gradually releases glucose into your bloodstream, stabilizing your blood sugar. Consumption of low-glycemic foods lower your risk for developing diabetes, and since green gram dal prolongs the release of sugar into your bloodstream, it can help curb your post-meal cravings. A study published in 2008 in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" indicates that mung beans might lower blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol and might improve glucose tolerance.
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