Moong Dal Recipe

This Moong Dal is comforting, hearty, protein-packed, flavorful and super tasty. Make this for a perfect, easy and wholesome vegetarian Indian meal. It is naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan if you use oil for tadka. This yellow mung daal is usually eaten with rice, pickle and papad. It also goes well with Indian flatbreads like roti and chapati. But you can also eat it on its own, like a soup alongside a veggie salad.

In this post I share how to make moong dal fry & tadka, with stovetop and instant pot instructions. If you do not have a pressure cooker, simply cook the dish in a regular sauce pan following my expert tips below.

About Moong Dal

This lentil is known by different names such as mung dal, moong dal, mung lentils, yellow petite lentils and split yellow mung beans. They come from the whole green mung beans, which are split and skinned. Another variation known as chilka dal, comes with the green skin intact and only the beans are split.

Both these can be used in most preparations. They can also be used interchangeably if you are okay with the color of the dish. Using split moong dal with skin is the same as using the whole green gram, except for the cook time.

Did you know that moong dal nourishes, heals, detoxes and balances the disturbances in the body?

Moong dal is one of the most favored lentils in the traditional Indian cuisine, which is based on the age old Ayurveda principles. According to Ayurveda, moong lentils are believed to be Tridoshic, meaning they are capable of balancing any disturbances in the body (vata, pitta and kapha). This also means anyone can eat these.

So these lentils are used widely to make various dishes like Dal khichdi, Vegetable Sambar, stews, soups, salads, curry, stir fry, Pesarattu and Moong dal dosa.

My Recipe

This recipe starts by soaking the lentils briefly until you prep up the ingredients like onion, tomatoes and other spices. This step helps the lentils to cook faster and give a better texture to the finished dish.

We make the onion tomato masala and cook the dal with it until tender. The dish is finished off with a tadka. This adds another layer of flavors and pop of colors. Here is what you need to make this dish

Ingredients you need

• Whole spices like mustard seeds and cumin seeds add an earthy flavor and texture. If you don’t like mustard, omit them.
• Aromatics: Onions, ginger and garlic are the basic aromatics. They add varied flavors and texture.
• Green chilies add a little heat and flavor to the dish. You may use Indian / Thai chilies or serrano peppers.
• Dried red chilies impart a smoky and pungent flavor. Feel free to omit them if you don’t have.
• Ground spices like Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric and garam masala are used for flavor & heat. You may substitute Kashmiri red chili powder with paprika.
• Hing is also known as asafetida and is a tree resin. It aids digestion and imparts a flavor to the dish. You may omit it if you don’t have. For a gluten-free dish, use a gluten-free version of hing. Most versions have some gluten-added to them.
• Herbs like curry leaves, kasuri methi and coriander leaves can be used. Fresh curry leaves add fresh flavors. If you don’t have use a Indian bay leaf or dried curry leaves but they don’t smell the same as fresh curry leaves. Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek leaves. They are super aromatic and there is no substitute to it. Coriander leaves are cilantro. They are used as a garnish.
• Lemon Juice or Amchur: I always serve my dal with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. If you love more tang you can use amchur as well. Amchur is dried mango powder and adds a fruity tangy flavor to the dish.

More Dal recipes
Chana dal
Masoor dal
Dal makhani
Dal fry recipe
Instant pot dal & rice

Photo Guide

Step by Step Photo Instructions

This recipe serves 2. You may double the ingredients to make 4 servings.

Preparation

1. Rinse half cup moong dal thrice and soak in 1¾ cups water, until you prepare the onions and tomatoes. If you are cooking in a sauce pan (no cooker), soak them in 2 cups boiling hot water for 30 mins. Chop 1 small onion (optional, ¼ cup chopped) and 1 medium tomato (½ cup chopped).

2. Pour 1 tbsp oil to a pressure cooker or an instant pot or sauce pan. When the oil becomes hot, add half teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 chopped green chilies and 5 to 6 curry leaves. If using instant pot, perform these steps on saute mode.

3. Saute for a minute and add onions if using. Fry until transparent, for 2 to 3 mins.

4. Add half cup chopped tomatoes (deseeded, if preferred) and half teaspoon salt.

Tip: If you are using canned tomatoes and cooking moong dal in a pan, add them later after the lentils are cooked. Adding canned tomatoes at this stage won’t cook your lentils fast unless you are pressure cooking.

5. Saute for 2 mins and add the following spices

• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala

Cook Moong Dal

6. Saute for a minute. Transfer the moong dal and along with the soaked water.

7. Stir well with a spatula to deglaze the bottom.

8. Cover and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles on a medium heat. If cooking in an instant pot, position the steam release vent to sealing and pressure cook for 10 mins.

If you are cooking in a sauce pan, bring to a rolling boil on a high heat, turn down the heat to medium. Cook uncovered until the lentils are tender and fully cooked through. Keep stirring every 6 to 7 mins, as they cook and pour more hot water if required. It will take you about 25 mins.

9. When the pressure drops, open the lid and mix/ mash well with the ladle. I did not have to add any more water. But if you want a thinner consistency, add ¼ cup boiling water and simmer for a few mins. Remember moong dal will become thicker as it cools down. Taste test and more salt if required. Add 1 tsp kasuri methi (crushed in your hands) and ½ tsp amchur (optional).

Your moong dal is ready at this stage and you may serve it right away or make a tadka like the way I did. If you want serve it right away without tadka, add some chopped coriander leaves and squeeze lemon juice while serving.

Tempering

10. To temper, heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small tadka pan. Add 2 to 3 crushed small garlic cloves and fry for a minute. When you see it begins to get golden, add red chilies.

11. Then add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional) and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.

12. When the seeds splutter, add 1/8 teaspoon hing and 5 to 6 curry leaves. Turn off and add ¼ teaspoon red chili powder.

13. Remove the pan quickly at this stage to avoid burning the spices.

Pour over the cooked moong dal. Gently stir it and serve with a sprinkle of lemon juice.

Expert Tips

• I have shared one pot recipe in the post. But you can also cook the lentils separately in a cooker or in a pot and add it to the onion tomato masala.
• If you are cooking this dish in a sauce pan, soak the lentils in hot water for 30 mins. Follow the recipe as mentioned but if you are using canned tomatoes, add them only after the lentils are tender.
• Avoid overcooking – This make the moong dal sticky.
• Use good amount of water – Dal becomes too thick and lumpy after cooling so mung dal requires more water. If your dal is old, consider soaking longer. This gives smoother texture.
• A lot of people also prefer to dry roast the moong dal before cooking as this helps to make the dal more flavorsome and reduces the stickiness.
• Sometimes I add a small amount of masoor dal along with moong dal. This reduces the stickiness.
• You can also add 2 tbsps of green gram in this recipe and use ¼ cup more water while cooking. This brings more texture to your moong dal.

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