Moth Beans (Matki): How Long to Soak, Sprouting and Matki Usal
Matki is moth, not moong. It’s the small, tan-to-olive bean that sprouts faster than any other pulse in the kitchen. As for how long to soak moth beans: 6 to 8 hours, then 2 to 3 whistles, or sprout them in a day and cook a matki usal in 15 minutes. This guide sorts out the names, then covers soaking, sprouting, pressure times, two recipes, honest protein and gas.
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Matki, moth, moong and daal moth: the names, sorted
Four names. Lots of confusion.
- Moth (matki, math, mat bean): a small, slightly long bean, dull brown to greenish tan, grown in the dry lands of Rajasthan, the Thar and Cholistan. Marathi homes call it matki; Punjabi and Rajasthani homes call it moth.
- Moong: a bigger, rounder, bright green bean. Related, but a different plant with a different taste. Matki is nuttier and a touch more earthy.
- Daal moth (the namkeen): a crunchy fried snack mix of lentils, sev and nuts. Despite the name, the whole moth bean usually isn’t the star of it.
- Moth daal: the split version of the bean, sold in some shops for a quick daal.
In the bag, matki looks like a mix of shades from sand to olive, and that’s normal. What isn’t normal is dust, a musty smell, shrivelled black beans or small holes, all signs of old or insect-hit stock.
Did you know? Bikaneri bhujia, the fine yellow sev, is made with moth bean flour, not only besan.
How long to soak moth beans
Six to eight hours, or overnight, in three times their volume of water, during which the small beans swell to roughly double their size and the wrinkled skins turn smooth and tight. Four hours is the least that works if you’re pressure cooking; less than that and the beans cook unevenly.
Forgot? Hot soak. Boil the washed matki in plenty of water for 2 minutes, cover, switch off and leave it an hour, then drain and carry on. Cooking matki straight from dry is possible in a cooker (5 to 6 whistles with an extra cup of water), but the skins split and the texture suffers, and it’s not the way to make usal.
Always pick the beans over and wash them in 3 or 4 changes of water first. Small stones and bits of stalk are common in loose matki.
Sprouting matki: the fastest pulse to sprout
Matki is the quickest sprouter in the pulse jar. Given a little warmth it shows tails within 12 hours of draining, and in a humid Karachi or Mumbai summer a batch soaked at night can be ready to cook by the next evening, well before moong or chana would be.
- Wash 1 cup (about 190 g) matki and soak it in 3 cups water for 8 hours.
- Drain well and rinse. Tip the beans into a clean cotton cloth, tie loosely, or leave them in a covered steel sieve over a bowl.
- Keep them somewhere warm and dark, out of the sun. Rinse and drain them morning and evening so they stay damp but never sit in water.
- Stop when the tails are about 0.5 to 1 cm long, usually 12 to 24 hours. Longer tails turn bitter and stringy.
- Rinse once more, drain and cook or refrigerate. One cup dry makes about 2.5 to 3 cups sprouts.
Slimy? Sour smell? Throw them away; that’s bacteria, not sprouting. Fresh sprouts smell green and clean. Our full sprouting guide for moong and chana covers jars, cloth and hygiene in detail, and all of it applies to matki. Sprouted matki keeps 2 days in a covered box in the fridge.
The warm, damp conditions that make sprouts grow also suit germs like salmonella and E. coli, and washing doesn’t remove all of them. Pregnant women, older people, anyone with weak immunity (including people on chemotherapy or steroids) and children under 5 should eat sprouts only when fully cooked, never raw in chaat or salad. Anyone with kidney disease or high uric acid should ask their doctor how much pulse suits them. Get help quickly for vomiting or diarrhoea with blood, high fever, or signs of dehydration after eating raw sprouts.
Moth beans pressure cooker time and stove time
| Form | Pressure cooker | Open pot |
|---|---|---|
| Whole, soaked | 2 to 3 whistles, 1 cup to 2.5 cups water | 30 to 40 minutes |
| Whole, unsoaked | 5 to 6 whistles, 3.5 cups water | Not worth it |
| Sprouted | 1 whistle, or skip the cooker | 10 to 15 minutes in the pan |
| Split moth daal | 2 whistles, 1 cup to 3 cups water | 20 to 25 minutes |
For dishes where each bean should stay whole (usal, chaat), undercook slightly and let the pan finish it. You can always cook more; you can’t un-mash a bean. Let the cooker release on its own, and keep it no more than half full.
How to make matki usal
A Maharashtrian dry-ish curry of sprouted matki, eaten with pav or roti, or as the base of misal. Serves 3 to 4.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil. Add 1 tsp rai (mustard seeds) and let them pop, then 1/2 tsp zeera, a pinch of hing and 8 to 10 curry leaves.
- Add 1 finely chopped onion and fry 5 minutes until soft.
- Add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 chopped tomato, 1/2 tsp haldi, 1 tsp lal mirch and 1 tsp goda masala or garam masala. Cook 4 minutes.
- Add 2.5 cups sprouted matki, 1 tsp salt and 1 cup water. Stir well.
- Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the sprouts are soft but still whole. Add a splash of water if it dries out.
- Finish with 1 tsp grated jaggery (optional, the Pune way), a squeeze of lemon, 2 tbsp grated coconut and hara dhania.
Punjabi moth daal, the whole-bean version
Cook 1 cup soaked whole moth with 2.5 cups water, 1/2 tsp haldi and salt for 3 whistles. Separately, fry 1 sliced onion golden in 2 tbsp ghee, add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 chopped tomato, 1 tsp lal mirch and 1 tsp dhania powder, and bhuno until oily. Add the moth with its water, simmer 10 minutes, and finish with garam masala and green chillies. It’s thick and earthy, a winter favourite with bajra or makai roti.
Protein, gas and the sprout myth
A katori (about 150 g) of cooked moth or matki usal gives roughly 10 g of protein and a good amount of fibre, around 170 kcal before the oil. That’s in line with other whole pulses like sabut moong and kala chana, which makes it a solid, cheap vegetarian protein and not a special one. Good. Not magic.
Do moth beans cause gas? Some, like any whole pulse. Soaking and throwing out the soak water, sprouting, and cooking the beans fully all cut down the skin fibre and fermentable sugars that gut bacteria turn into gas, and starting with small portions a few times a week lets your gut adjust over time. Hing and ginger in the tadka are the traditional help. If gas and bloating trouble you after most meals, not only pulses, see our guide to gas after meals.
Myth: sprouting doubles the protein
No. A bean can’t make protein from water. Sprouting changes the bean a little: it softens it, cuts cooking time, raises some vitamins like vitamin C, and lowers some of the compounds that make pulses gassy or hard to digest. Weight for weight, sprouts look lower in protein than dry beans simply because they’ve soaked up water. They’re a nice way to eat moth, not a stronger one.
Did you know? Moth is one of the toughest crops in South Asia. It grows on desert sand with very little rain, where most pulses fail.
Storing matki, dry and cooked
Dry matki keeps up to a year in an airtight jar in a cool cupboard. Cooked moth keeps 2 days in the fridge as long as it went in within 2 hours of cooking, and sprouts keep the same 2 days in a covered box, after which the tails start to brown and the smell turns. In the monsoon, when kitchens are warm and damp, stick to the monsoon fridge rules and don’t leave sprouting beans out longer than they need. Browse other pulses in Grains, Daals & Pulses.
Moth beans and matki: what people ask
How long to soak moth beans?
Six to eight hours or overnight. Four hours is the minimum for pressure cooking, and a 1 hour hot soak works if you forgot.
What is the difference between matki and moong?
Matki is moth bean: smaller, longer and tan to olive in colour, with a nuttier taste. Moong is bigger, rounder and bright green. They’re related but not the same plant.
How many whistles for matki?
Two to three whistles for soaked whole matki with 1 cup to 2.5 cups water, and only 1 whistle for sprouts. Unsoaked matki needs 5 to 6.
How do I make matki usal?
Temper rai, zeera, hing and curry leaves, fry onion, tomato and masala, then add sprouted matki and water and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Finish with lemon, coconut and dhania.
How long does matki take to sprout?
Usually 12 to 24 hours after an 8 hour soak, faster in warm weather. Stop when tails are about 0.5 to 1 cm long.
Can I cook matki without soaking?
Yes, in a pressure cooker with 5 to 6 whistles and extra water, or after a 1 hour hot soak. Unsoaked beans split and cook unevenly, so it’s not ideal for usal.
Does moth beans cause gas?
They can, like any whole pulse. Soaking, sprouting, full cooking and small portions reduce it for most people.
How do I cook moth beans without a pressure cooker?
Simmer soaked moth in about 4 cups water per cup, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes. Sprouts cook in 10 to 15 minutes in a pan with a little water.
Is matki good in pregnancy?
Cooked matki is a good food in pregnancy. Raw sprouts are not: pregnant women should always eat sprouts fully cooked because of the germ risk.
How do I store sprouted matki in the fridge?
Drain them well, pat dry, and keep them in a covered box lined with a paper towel. Use within 2 days, and throw out any that smell sour or feel slimy.
Is moth beans good for uric acid or kidney patients?
That depends on your blood results and medicines. Pulses add purines, potassium and phosphorus, so ask your doctor how much suits you.
Is daal moth namkeen made from moth beans?
Mostly not. It’s a fried snack of lentils, sev and nuts; moth flour is used in some sev, like Bikaneri bhujia. It’s a fried snack, not a serving of pulses.