Mun Kiribath
Mung Kiribath (Green Gram Milk Rice)
Mung kiribath, also called mun kiribath or green gram milk rice, is Sri Lankan milk rice cooked together with mung beans, then enriched with thick coconut milk, pressed flat and cut into diamonds. The mung beans bring protein, a gentle nutty bite and that speckled green-flecked look, so it's a more sustaining version of plain kiribath. Like all milk rice, this is the dish of auspicious mornings and new beginnings, served warm with fiery lunu miris, sweet seeni sambol, or a little jaggery.
Milk rice with a heart of nutty green gram. The more sustaining, protein-rich kiribath made for auspicious mornings and fresh starts.
- Total time
- 50 min
- 15 min prep · 35 min cook
- Serves
- 6 people
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice level
- Mild
- Country help
- USA · UK · AU · CA substitutes included
CeylonCooking
ceyloncooking.com/recipes/mung-kiribath
Mung Kiribath (Mun Kiribath)
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Nutrition
Estimated values, per serving.
About This Dish
Mung kiribath is kiribath with something extra folded in. The base is the same milk rice, rice cooked soft and bound with thick coconut milk, but here cooked mung beans (green gram) are stirred through before the whole thing is pressed and cut into the traditional diamonds. The name says it plainly: mun for the green gram, kiribath for milk rice. Those little beans speckle the white rice with green and gold, give it a nutty, slightly earthy taste, and turn a soft, mild dish into one with a satisfying bite.
Like plain kiribath, mun kiribath belongs to beginnings. It turns up on New Year morning, at the start of an important venture, and on ordinary mornings when a household wants to begin the day with something that will hold them longer than plain milk rice does. The mung makes it more filling and more nourishing, and that's exactly why many families reach for it: the same auspicious dish, but one that sits between breakfast and a small meal, with real staying power.
What sets mung kiribath apart on the plate is texture and depth. Plain kiribath is smooth and creamy, while this one carries firm little beans that pop softly between the teeth and give the whole slab a wholesome, grainy character. It still wants a sharp partner alongside, the heat of lunu miris or the dark sweetness of jaggery, but the rice itself has more to say. It's the version you make when you want milk rice to be a touch heartier, without losing any of its meaning.
Mung beans run deep in the island's kitchen. You see them in kiri aluwa and other sweets, in kenda porridges, and steamed plain for the New Year table, always carrying that same idea of nourishment and good fortune. Bring them into kiribath and you simply join two well-loved things: the ceremonial milk rice and the humble, protein-rich green gram that Sri Lankan cooks have leaned on for generations.
What Are Mung Beans (Green Gram)?
Mung beans, called mung or mun in Sinhala and known in English as green gram, are small green pulses with a soft, slightly sweet, nutty flavour once cooked. In Sri Lanka they're a quiet staple, simmered into kenda, steamed for the New Year, ground into sweets like kiri aluwa, and here cooked whole into milk rice. They're a genuine source of plant protein and fibre, which is what turns mung kiribath into the more sustaining cousin of plain kiribath.
For this dish the beans stay whole, not split or skinned, so they hold their shape and speckle the rice with green. They're firmer and thirstier than rice, so they get a head start: a soak and a longer cook of their own before they ever meet the rice. Cooked right, they should be tender enough to bite through cleanly but still distinct, never collapsed into mush. Then every diamond shows its little flecks of green gram.
What It Should Taste Like
Creamy coconut milk rice studded with soft, nutty mung beans. It has a gentle bite, mild and lightly salted, a little earthier and more filling than plain kiribath. Serve it with something sharp like lunu miris or something sweet like jaggery.
Ingredients
This recipe makes 6 servings. Change the number and every amount below updates with it. Substitutes for hard-to-find items are in the sidebar.
The US button converts grams, millilitres and centimetres to ounces, cups and inches. Spoon measures stay exactly as they are.
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For the Mung Beans
- Whole mung beans (green gram)soaked for 4 hours or overnight½ cup
- Waterto boil the beans1½ cups
For the Milk Rice
- White rice (samba or short-grain)rinsed well2 cups
- Water2½ cups
- Thick coconut milkor full-fat tinned1 cup
- Salt1 tsp
Method
Follow these 8 steps. Each one explains not just what to do, but why it matters.
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- 01
Soak the Mung Beans
Rinse the whole mung beans, soak them in plenty of water for at least 4 hours, or overnight, then drain.
Whole green gram is a dense little pulse with a tough skin, much firmer than rice, so it needs a proper head start. Soaking softens the skin and the inside so the beans cook evenly, instead of staying chalky in the centre. You'll notice the beans have swollen and feel less hard between your fingers after a good soak. That's how you know they're ready to boil.
Tip: No time to soak overnight? A few hours in warm water helps, but you'll need to boil them a little longer to get them tender.
- 02
Boil the Mung Beans Until Tender
Put the drained beans in a pot with the water, cover, and simmer until they are soft enough to bite through cleanly but still hold their shape, about 20-25 minutes. Drain off any excess water.
This is the step that separates good mung kiribath from a disappointing one, because the beans and rice cook at very different speeds. If you threw raw beans in with the rice, the rice would turn soft long before the green gram was edible. Cook the beans first, on their own, and taste one. It should give way easily but still feel like a distinct bean, not a paste. Stop while they hold their shape, since they will soften a little more once mixed into the hot rice.
Tip: Do not salt the beans while they boil, because salt can toughen the skins and slow the cooking. Keep them just covered with water so they don't turn to mush.
- 03
Cook the Rice Soft
Rinse the rice well, then cook it covered with the water over low heat until soft and all the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. It should be a touch softer than rice you'd serve plain.
Like all kiribath, the rice here is cooked a little past fluffy, soft enough to mash slightly and bind together, because that's what lets the slab set into sliceable diamonds. Rinsing first removes loose starch so it doesn't turn gluey. A rice cooker is ideal; otherwise keep the heat low and the lid on so it steams gently rather than catching on the base.
Tip: Use short-grain or samba rice. Long-grain rice like basmati stays separate and won't hold its shape when pressed.
- 04
Fold in the Cooked Mung Beans
Add the cooked, drained mung beans to the soft rice and fold them through gently so they spread evenly all the way through.
Folding the beans into the hot, soft rice now, before the coconut milk goes in, lets them spread evenly so every diamond ends up speckled with green gram rather than the beans sinking to one spot. Fold gently so the rice stays intact and the beans keep their shape. This is the moment mung kiribath stops looking like plain milk rice and takes on that flecked, wholesome look.
Tip: Make sure the beans are well drained first, or the extra water will stop the kiribath from setting firmly.
- 05
Add the Thick Coconut Milk
Stir the salt into the thick coconut milk, pour it over the rice and beans, and mix gently but thoroughly so everything is coated.
Adding the coconut milk to already-cooked rice at the end is the whole trick of any kiribath. It makes the rice creamy without the fat splitting or boiling away, which is what happens if you cook the rice in coconut milk from the start. Stir until it looks glossy and a little wet. It will firm up as it cooks down and cools.
Tip: You want thick, first-press or full-fat coconut milk here. Light coconut milk won't give the richness or help it set.
- 06
Cook It Down
Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes. You're done when the coconut milk is absorbed and the mix is thick, creamy and pulling together.
This short cook gets rid of the extra moisture so the mung kiribath sets firm enough to slice. It also lets the coconut soak right into the rice and beans. Keep stirring so the bottom doesn't catch and the heat stays even. It's ready when it holds together in a mass and a spoon dragged through leaves a clean trail for a second.
Tip: Don't let it dry out completely. It should still look moist and creamy in the pot. It firms up a lot as it cools.
- 07
Press and Shape
Tip the hot rice onto a flat plate or tray and press it down firmly into an even slab about 2 cm thick. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a banana leaf.
Pressing while it's hot is what gives kiribath its clean, set shape. Press it well so there are no air gaps, or the diamonds will crumble when you cut them. The beans help here, they give the slab a little structure. Traditionally it's smoothed and even cut on a banana leaf, which gives a faint grassy aroma. A flat plate or lined tray works just as well.
Tip: Wet the back of the spoon or your hands with a little water or coconut milk, so the rice doesn't stick as you press and smooth it.
- 08
Cut into Diamonds and Serve
Let it cool and set for 10-15 minutes, then cut into the traditional diamonds: straight lines one way, then diagonal lines across. Serve with lunu miris, seeni sambol or jaggery.
Letting it rest firms the slab so the pieces hold their edges and show the flecks of green gram. The diamond shape is traditional and practical, the diagonal cuts give you neat, equal pieces you can pick up by hand. Serve mung kiribath warm or at room temperature, never piping hot. Pair it with something sharp or sweet to balance the mild, nutty richness.
Tip: Wipe the knife clean between cuts for tidy diamonds. Serve with lunu miris, seeni sambol, a little jaggery or a ripe banana.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding raw mung beans straight to the rice means the rice overcooks while the beans stay hard. Always boil the beans tender first.
- Overcooking the beans into mush. That loses the nutty bite and speckled look that defines mung kiribath.
- Not draining the boiled beans. The extra water stops the kiribath from setting.
- Using long-grain rice like basmati. It stays separate and won't hold the diamond shape.
- Cooking the rice in coconut milk from the start. It can split. Add the thick coconut milk at the end.
Serving Ideas
- With lunu miris, the fiery onion and chilli sambol, for that classic creamy and nutty against hot contrast.
- With seeni sambol for a sweeter, milder savoury pairing.
- With a little jaggery or kithul treacle, or slices of ripe banana, for a sweet breakfast plate.
- As a more filling milk rice on auspicious mornings, when plain kiribath feels too light.
Building a whole plate around it? Start from our sri lankan breakfast menu, which sets out what to cook alongside it and in what order.
Storage and Make-Ahead
This is best the day it's made, warm or at room temperature. It'll keep a day covered in the fridge and firms up more, so bring it back to room temp before you serve it. Like plain kiribath, it doesn't freeze or reheat well, the texture goes hard.
Two Ways to Cook It
Soak the mung beans, boil them until tender, and cook the rice in a rice cooker. Fold the drained beans through, then stir in the tinned full-fat coconut milk and salt right at the end and press it into a lined tray to cut. The only real skill is getting the beans properly soft before they meet the rice.
This is the proper version: whole green gram and Sri Lankan samba rice, thick milk pressed from fresh coconut, rice cooked in a clay pot, and the slab shaped and cut on a banana leaf for that traditional aroma and finish.
Lighter and Healthier Version
Mung kiribath is already the more nourishing milk rice, thanks to the protein and fibre in the green gram. But it's still rich with coconut and built on white rice, so a few tweaks make it lighter or fit different needs without losing its character.
Naturally Dairy-Free and Vegan
The 'milk' here is coconut, not dairy, and mung beans are a plant protein, so mung kiribath suits dairy-free and vegan eaters exactly as it is, no swaps needed.
Lean on the Protein
Add a little more mung, up to equal parts beans and a reduced amount of rice, to push up the protein and fibre and lower the share of refined white rice on the plate.
Try Red or Brown Rice
Swap white rice for Sri Lankan red rice or brown rice for more fibre and a nuttier flavour that pairs naturally with the green gram. It sets a little less neatly, but it tastes wonderful.
Lighten the Coconut
Use part light coconut milk to cut the fat, but keep at least some full-fat so it still binds and sets. The result is a touch softer.
Keep It Savoury
Skip the jaggery and treacle and serve with lunu miris or a sambol instead. That gives you a lower-sugar, savoury plate that makes the most of the beans' staying power.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mung kiribath is Sri Lankan milk rice cooked with whole mung beans (green gram), then enriched with thick coconut milk, pressed flat and cut into diamonds. The beans give you protein, a nutty bite and a speckled green look, so it is more sustaining than plain kiribath. It is traditionally eaten on auspicious mornings and new beginnings with lunu miris, seeni sambol or jaggery.
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