Moth Bean

The moth bean, Vigna aconitifolia, also called mat bean, matki or dew bean, is a drought-resistant legume commonly grown in arid and semi-arid regions of India. It is an annual herb that grows to about 40 centimeters, with yellow flowers producing yellowish-brown pods 2 to 3 inches long, and seeds containing about 22 to 24 percent protein; it is grown mainly in India, on roughly 1.5 million hectares, and also in the United States, Australia, Thailand and other parts of Asia. In Maharashtra the sprouted beans are cooked into a spicy stew called matki usal, the base of the popular street food misal pav, and the beans are also processed into snacks such as dalmoth and bhujia; beyond human food, moth bean is used as forage and a cover crop in water-limited farming.