Legumes, the unsung heroes of the plant kingdom, are more than just your average garden peas. These little powerhouses come in a staggering array of shapes, sizes, and colours, each boasting a unique flavour profile and an impressive nutritional punch. From the plump and protein-packed chickpeas to the delicate and versatile lentils, legumes have been a staple food source for civilisations around the world for millennia.
What foods are considered legumes? Legumes describe a broad spectrum of ingredients, ranging from beans, peas, and chickpeas to lentils and even peanuts! |
A Bean by Any Other Name
The legume family tree is vast and diverse, encompassing over 20,000 species. Across continents and cultures, legumes have been given colourful names that reflect their local significance. In India, the tiny black gram, known as urad dal, is a foundational ingredient in countless curries and dals. The Japanese prize the azuki bean, or adzuki, for its sweet and nutty flavour, often incorporating it into desserts and soups. Edamame, the immature soybean pod, is a popular snack in China and has become increasingly popular around the world.
Nitrogen Fixation: A Symbiotic Superstar
One of the most fascinating aspects of legumes is their ability to create their own fertiliser, fixing nitrogen from the air. They achieve this through a symbiotic relationship with a special type of bacteria called rhizobia. These bacteria take up residence in the legume’s root nodules and convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form that the plant can absorb. This process, called nitrogen fixation, not only benefits the legume by providing it with essential nitrogen for growth but also enriches the soil for other plants. This makes legumes a valuable tool for sustainable agriculture, reducing reliance on external fertilizers and promoting healthy soil ecosystems.
 Did you know?
Peanuts aren’t actually nuts! Despite their name, they are classified as legumes due to their growth pods and nitrogen-fixing properties. |
Types of Legumes
Legumes are the broadest category, encompassing all plants in the Fabaceae family, including leaves, stems, and pods. Pulses are specifically the dried seeds of legumes, which is what we typically eat. Lentils are a type of pulse with a unique lens shape, so all lentils are pulses, but not all pulses are lentils.
Here’s a handy chart to summarise:
| Category | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Legumes | The entire plant family (Fabaceae/Leguminosae) | Pea pods, soybean plants, alfalfa |
| Pulses | The dried, edible seeds of legumes |
Lentils, beans (all varieties), chickpeas, dried peas, peanuts |
| Lentils | A specific type of pulse with a lens-shaped appearance | Brown lentils, green lentils, red lentils, black lentils |
Legume Varieties in India
India is a land of incredible culinary diversity, and legumes, known as dals, are no exception. Here are some of the most popular varieties in India, each with its own distinct flavour and texture:
A mainstay of Indian cooking, it falls in the essential dal category as it is an important source of protein. It is a popular pulse not only in India, but in other parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It has a mild, nutty flavour and a creamy texture. In India, toor dal takes centre stage in many dishes. It is rich in folic acid, iron, and magnesium. Some delightful dishes made from toor dal are South Indian sambhar, bisi bele bath, and puran poli in Maharashtra where this dal boiled and cooked is the main filling. While dal tadka is a North Indian dish made with tempered spices.
Packed with fibre, the whole masoor dal appears brown on the outside and orange on the inside. It has an impressive nutritive profile. It is a quick-cooking protein-rich dal containing essential amino acids, potassium, iron and fibre. However, it requires to be soaked for a few hours or overnight before use. There is also orange (split) masoor dal. The orange masoor dal is the whole masoor dal that has been de-husked. It has an earthy flavour and hence lends itself to different styles of cooking.
Yellow Moong Dal (de-husked)
It is one of the most commonly used dals in almost every Indian kitchen. It is a non-fussy dal variety and does not require to be soaked for too long. It cooks easily and quickly therefore easy to digest. Sure enough, this versatile dal is packed with nutrients. Therefore it is a go-to dal for all those who are recuperating and need to recover their strength. Used for both sweet and savoury cooking it is even used to prepare a robust, tasty salad besides being used for dals and halwas. It is also popularly made for parantha stuffing and khichdi. Make Punjabi halwa, or delicious dal khichdi or soak some and add to dosa batter.
It is also known as chawli, cowpea or white lobia and is very popular in Indian kitchens. It is flavoursome and is made into a tasty dish of curry and is prepared in a variety of dishes all over India. In Maharashtra, it is made into a spicy gravy dish and in Andhra Pradesh it is used to make vadas. While in Karnataka, just like in Maharashtra, it is cooked in a spicy, coconut paste in Kerala, lobia is found in a stew. In Tamil Nadu, it is made into sundal during the festival seasons.
The whole white urad dal is essentially used when it has to be used in dosa or wada. It is used to make papads too. This dal improves digestion and also controls cholesterol. The split white urad dal is used differently in various regions. In South India, urad dal is an important ingredient in seasoning along with chana dal. It gives an awesome aroma and also adds some bite to the dish. In UP, this dal is used in making an epic-classic preparation called tadkewali urad dal. Simple to make it is a humble dish but super delicious.
Black-skinned urad dal with a white interior, this black dal is packed with nutrients and super high in fibre. Black gram is also loaded with calcium, magnesium, and lots of other nutrients. It cooks best when soaked overnight. This black dal is used to make dals and in some preps even to make mithais. The classic dal makhani is made using this whole black urad dal.
Sprouts anyone? This dal is packed with nutrients and can be used for any preparations. While the whole version is used in salads, the split type is used in dal, pulao, cheelas, Khichdi, and even soups and parathas.
Rajma, or red kidney beans, are very common in the North for their popular comfort food, creamy and delicious rajma-chawal. Rich in proteins, rajma is a staple dish in many households. It is a hearty, rich curry made with onions, tomatoes, and a whole host of whole and ground spices.
Kala chana usually is soaked overnight, pressure cooked and then made ready to use. Healthy, this legume is popularly served as part of the Prasad during Ashtami it is served with puri and halwa. Kala chana is also used to make gravies and curries. In Kerala, the kala chana is used in a classic recipe where black chana is soaked in a coconut milk-based curry.
Rich in proteins, Matki is considered great for providing energy and building muscles. It is considered a drought-resistant legume. It is rich in B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, copper, sodium and zinc essentially all of which are required nutrients the body needs for growth and development. Good for those having type 2 diabetes, eating cooked matki can help control blood sugar levels.
Yes, it is this kabuli chana that is extremely popular in Punjab. Their pindi chole served best with kulchas and bhaturas is thoroughly delicious. Kabuli chana is used in Mediterranean cuisine too and is the main ingredient for hummus.
Did you know how Horse Gram got its name? This dal has the highest protein content compared to any lentil. It is fed to horses to help them maintain their weight and keep them energetic, hence the namesake.
Kulith is also rich in iron and calcium among other nutrients. Though it is considered a poor man’s food it provides a lot of energy for a small portion consumed. It is a drought-tolerant crop that can be grown in low rainfall or even in regions which get proper rainfall but dry agricultural lands.
Horse gram nutrition details unknown to me before
When we have such a treasure trove of highly nutritious, natural foodstuff, we often
abandon them and go in for food that have dubious nutritional value but are considered ‘trendy’. Sad……….
NICE INFORMATION AND USEFUL
Kulith is for making spicy papads in Karnataka. Some amount of til is used while pressing the papads, which leave a good aroma and taste when the papad is fried. These papads are available in all grocery stores there.