Horse gram vs Whole moong: nutrition per 100 g

Horse gram has a reputation as the slimming pulse of the south, but its numbers tell a mixed story. Per 100 g dry it has 330 kcal and 57.2 g of carbohydrate, ranking 1st of 14 pulses for carbohydrate. Whole moong has 294 kcal and 46.1 g. Protein is close, 21.7 g in horse gram and 22.5 g in whole moong, each meeting about 40 per cent of a man's daily need.

The surprise is fibre. IFCT 2017 lists 7.9 g per 100 g for horse gram, the lowest of the 14 pulses, against 17.0 g for whole moong, about 2.2 times as much. So the fullness people credit to horse gram is not explained by fibre. Its hard seed and long cooking may play a part, and the traditional advice about it for weight loss is not something the tables can confirm.

Horse gram ranks 1st of 14 pulses for both iron and calcium. Its 8.76 mg of iron per 100 g is about 1.8 times the 4.89 mg in whole moong and covers 46 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 30 per cent of a woman's. Its calcium, 269 mg against 92 mg, is about 2.9 times as much and covers 27 per cent of an adult's need. Horse gram also has more copper and selenium.

Whole moong leads on magnesium, 198 mg against 152 mg, covering 54 per cent of a woman's daily need, and on phosphorus and potassium. Zinc is level at 2.71 and 2.67 mg. As with every pulse, soaking, sprouting and a vitamin C source improve how much iron the body absorbs.

Riboflavin is close, 0.24 mg per 100 g in horse gram and 0.27 mg in whole moong, and both are good sources for pulses. Horse gram has slightly more folate, 163 micrograms against 145, ranking 10th of 197 foods. Whole moong has more thiamine, 0.45 mg against 0.32 mg, more vitamin B6, 0.35 mg against 0.21 mg, and more beta-carotene and niacin. Whole moong also has more than three times the plant omega-3 fat ALA.

Horse gram is a hardy dryland pulse eaten as kollu rasam and thuvaiyal in Tamil Nadu, hurali saaru in Karnataka, ulavacharu in Andhra Pradesh, muthira in Kerala and gahat dal in Uttarakhand. It needs long soaking and pressure cooking. Whole moong is eaten as sprouts, usal, pesarattu and simple moong curry, and sprouts in a day or two. Both values are for dry seeds; sprouting and cooking add water and change the weight.