Moong dal is the most basic lentil dish made with yellow moong lentils, tomatoes & spices. This moong dal recipe will give you delicious & healthy dish that you can enjoy with plain rice, roti, Paratha, naan or even with any flavored rice like Jeera rice, basmati rice or Ghee rice. We usually serve it with rice. Along with pickle, papad & raita it makes a complete meal.
If you have kids or folks at home who do not like moong dal then this recipe is a must try for them as the taste of this is unique and delicious.
This healthy lentil dish can also be served to toddlers & babies after 10 months, just minus chilies.
Moong dal is one of the most favored dal or lentils in Indian cuisine as it is easily digestible. Mung beans or lentils are said to be tridoshic & can balance any disturbances in the body.
Hence it is used to make various dishes like Dal khichdi, dal soup, and Moong dosa. If you are new to lentils then do note that yellow moong dal is split & dehusked green gram or mung beans. These are fairly quick to cook and gentle on the stomach.
Tips to make moong dal
- Most Indian homes do own a pressure cooker so I have shown this recipe making in the same. If you do not own one, then you can just cook the dal in a pot or instant pot. I have given the instructions for instant pot as well below.
- You can also make this as a one pot dish. Again it can be made in a cooker or pot. All you need to do is just do the tempering first & then just add the dal and water. Cover & pressure cook.
- We usually do not make very hot & spicy lentils as the original flavor of lentils is lost. However if you love spicy foods, then feel free to double the amount of spices like red chilli powder & garam masala.
- If you are not accessible to curry leaves just replace with bay leaf.
- To make the dish healthier, I usually add some spinach and carrots. I pressure cook the carrots with the moong dal. Then I saute the spinach in the tempering pan until it wilts. Then add the cooked dal.
More Dal recipes
Chana dal
Masoor dal
Dal makhani
Dal fry recipe
Instant pot dal & rice
Moong dal recipe
Moong dal recipe (Stovetop & instant pot)
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- ½ cup moong dal (or skinned split green gram)
- 1 ½ cups water (same for IP)
Tempering ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil (or ghee or butter)
- 1 red chili (broken )
- ½ tsp cumin (or jeera)
- ¼ to ½ tsp mustard (optional)
- 1 Pinch asafoetida or hing (skip if you don’t have)
- 1 sprig curry leaves or bay leaf (optional)
- 1 to 2 green chilies chopped (use as needed)
- 1 tsp ginger garlic chopped or crushed (or ½ tsp ginger & ½ garlic)
Spice powders
- 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder (optional)
- 1/8 tsp garam masala (optional)
Other ingredients
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 large tomato chopped or pureed
- Salt as needed
- ½ tsp crushed kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves (optional)
- ¼ to ¾ cup water (more or less for consistency) (skip for IP)
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (or cilantro finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (or ½ tsp amchur or dry mango powder) as needed
How to make the recipe
- Rinse moong dal thrice in a pot or pressure cooker with ample amount of water.
How to cook on Stovetop
- Drain the water completely. Pour 1½ cups water and cook on a medium heat until soft.
- If cooking in pressure cooker allow to whistle twice or thrice. If cooking in a instant pot – Place the bowl inside the instant pot, secure the lid & cook for 10 mins on a high pressure.
- If you like smooth & creamy dal then mash the moong dal well.
Tempering
- Pour ghee or oil to a hot pan. Add mustard, cumin & red chili. Let them pop.
- Next add green chilies, ginger garlic & curry leaves. Fry until a nice flavor comes out.
- Then fry onions until transparent. Next fry tomatoes until soft & mushy.
- Add turmeric, salt, if desired garam masala and chilli powder (optional). Saute for a min until aromatic.
- Transfer cooked dal. Then pour water if needed to bring the dal to a desired consistency.
- Dal is usually made to a thick but of pouring consistency.
- Stir and cook till it begins to bubble. Optional – Add kasuri methi and amchur if using. Stir and switch off.
- Squeeze in some lemon juice when it cools down a bit. Serve moong dal with rice, roti or any Indian bread.
How to make moong dal in Instant pot
- Press the saute button on your Instant pot.
- Pour ghee or oil to the inner pot.
- Add cumin,mustard and curry leaves or bay leaf.
- When they splutter, add asafoetida (hing), onions and chilies.
- Fry for about 2 mins until the onions turn transparent.
- Then add in ginger, garlic, red chili powder, garam masala and turmeric.
- Give a quick stir.
- Add in tomatoes, salt, rinsed dal and pour 1½ cups water.
- Deglaze the inner pot by scrubbing with a spatula to release any bits of food stuck.
- optional – Place a trivet and place your rice bowl.
- Secure the IP with the lid. Position the steam release handle to sealing.
- Press the pressure cook button and set the timer to 8 mins.
- When the Ip is done, press cancel and switch off. Wait for the pressure to release naturally for 10 mins.
- Release the rest of the pressure manually. – With the help of a spoon, gently move the steam release handle from sealing to venting. This releases the steam.
- Sprinkle kasuri methi over the dal and mash it if you like it smooth. If the dal is too thick you can pour ¼ to ½ cup hot water and bring it to consistency. Taste it and add more salt if needed.
- Garnish moong dal with coriander leaves and squeeze in lemon juice.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
Instant pot moong dal recipe
Most often I prefer to cook dal & rice in 2 separate bowls at one time in the instant pot. Here is how I make it in instant pot following these 2 methods. I have shared the first method above.
Second method is to follow the same recipe as mentioned in the recipe card. You will just cook the dal in the instant pot using the pot-in-pot method.
For that, place the dal bowl at the bottom of the inner pot. Then place the rice bowl on top & cover it. I use short grain rice. Secure the lid with the steam release handle set to sealing position.
Pressure cook for 9 to 10 mins. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Then follow the tempering as mentioned in the recipe card.
Preparation for stovetop method
1. Rinse ½ cup dal few times until the water runs clear. Cook with 1½ cups water till soft.
2. It can be cooked in a pressure cooker for one to 2 whistles on a medium flame. When the pressure goes off, open the cooker and mash it to smooth if you like.
3. Heat ghee or oil in a pan, saute mustard, cumin and red chilies.
Tempering
4. When the mustard begin to splutter, add grated ginger garlic and slit or chopped green chili. You can also add curry leaves if you have as it lends a good aroma and is healthy too.
5. When the raw smell of ginger garlic goes off, add a pinch of hing and then chopped onions.
6. When the onions turn lightly pink, add chopped tomatoes. Fry until they turn soft and raw smell disappears.
7. Add turmeric and salt. You can also saute further until tomatoes turn very soft and mushy. You can also add half tsp chili powder and 2 pinches of garam masala if you like.
How to moong dal
8. Add ¾ cup water.
9. Add mashed dal. Stir and bring everything to a boil.
10. Add crushed kasuri methi and amchur powder. Kasuri methi can be replaced with coriander leaves, but the flavor turns out different. If you do not have amchur powder, add lemon juice just before serving. Add more salt if needed.
Serve moong dal fry with plain rice, jeera rice or paratha.
Magda says
Hi, Swasthi
I am not sure about difference between moong dal and mungo beans? May I use mungo beans for this recipe as well?
Your website was the impulse for me to try to cook Indian dishes. As being from Europe I don’t have any previous experience with cooking, but I love Indian restaurants here in Singapore!
Thanks a lot!
swasthi says
Hi Magda,
Moong dal is skinned & split mung beans (whole green gram). You can take a look at the step by step pictures (after the recipe card) to identify moong dal. You can follow this mung beans recipe if you want to use the whole beans (not split). Hope you enjoy the dish.
🙂
Winnie says
I always found moong dal to be a bit bland, but this turned out to be absolutely delicious. Such simple recipes are really comforting and satisfying especially in these difficult times of lockdown. Thanks for sharing.
swasthi says
You are welcome Winnie!
Glad to know it turned out good.
Thank you
Ron Snider says
Hi, I just made it using my new 3qt Instant Pot … the 3rd dal and 3rd item I’ve made with it !
I have a question: The ingredients mention “Hing” but doesn’t mention WHEN to add it in … unless I overlooked it ??
At first I thought it was a little too spicey (hot) … with the 3 kinds of pepper in the recipe !! But after eating a little more, I think it’s just right in terms of hottness.
I used Amchoor instead of lemon juice.
Thanks !
swasthi says
Hi,
You are welcome!
Hing goes after the whole spices. I updated it. Thank you
Rajashree says
Your recipe is awesome able to feed my family especially during lock down. Thank you for writing the blog
swasthi says
Hi Rajashree,
Thank you! Glad to know!
Ankit says
Awesome recipe. Fell in love with yellow dal again!
swasthi says
Thank you Ankit,
Glad you liked it
Anurag Gupta says
Hi, if I wanted to make it in one pot using stove top, then after tampering and adding all vegetables and spices, when I add the uncooked dal, how much water do I add and how long should I pressure cook it?
swasthi says
Hi Anurag,
Please cook the dal separately first & temper. One pot pressure cooker moong dal may burn sometimes or the dal may not cook well.
Donna says
You mean mustard seed, right? Not mustard from a jar? I’ve been looking at this recipe since before my Instapot arrived. One of the main reasons I got it was to be able to make some Indian dishes in it. Don’t know where I got that idea, lol. I know it’s good for other stuff as well. This will be my first recipe in my Instapot! I won’t be using curry leaves or some of the optional spices but I’ve got the required ones. 🙂 I just need the bravery. I’ve been looking and looking and looking at this recipe. Time to try to do it!
swasthi says
Hi Donna,
Yes it is mustard seed. I am with you. Just go ahead and try it. I am sure you can make delicious dal. I have a video of the instant pot dal and rice cooked together in the Insta pot. You may want to take a look. The only change is I have used a mix of moong and toor dal. You can check it here – Instant pot dal. Hope you enjoy making it.
Q says
This dal is so good! I made it with split moong with skins on, which changed the color, and I left it thick and chunky without mashing any. It’s so hearty and low in calories (123 kcal per 1 cup serving, makes 3 servings). Thank you!
swasthi says
You are welcome! Glad you liked it. Thank you so much!
Gillian Carlin says
Just made the Moong Dhal – absolutely delicious. Stunning flavour. Thank you so much for your recipes. I have just found you and now can’t wait to cook more of your recipes. Having just returned from an amazing trip to India this Dahl took me straight back there. Thank you
swasthi says
Hi Gillian Carlin,
You are welcome! Glad you liked the moong dal. Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy more recipes from here.
🙂
Lori says
Thank you for the recipe and I look forward to trying it. I soak about 1/5 cup of yellow mung dahl and 1/5 cup of basmati rice together over night. I rinse well the next day and then cook both together with water until soft. I cook vegetables separately in a pan with coconut oil using Banyan Botanicals’ Kitchari spice mix. When the mung dahl rice mixture is fully cooked, I stir in ghee and put in a bowl and top with the cooked seasoned vegetables. I would like to avoid the long cooking time of the mung dahl and rice and having to watch the pot and add water as needed throughout the cooking process. So I am considering buying an Instant Pot Duo. Since I am cooking less than 1/2 cup of yellow mung dahl and basmati rice combined, can I cook this in an Instant Pot Duo 3?
Thank you for your advice!
Mahi says
Hii madam …ur recipes is good …I try a lot recipes …just I loved it
swasthi says
Hi Mahi
Thank you.Glad you like them
🙂
Virginia Lee says
I am thankful for your blog and tried the moong dal and it turned out delicious! I appreciate especially how you make certain ingredients optional so we add if we have but aren’t deterred if we don’t! Plus, you explain what words mean (ex. jeera is cumin) and that is super helpful! Thank you for sharing!
swasthi says
Hi Virginia Lee,
You are welcome. Glad you like the recipes. Thank you so much for trying!
🙂
susan says
so happy to have found you. I don’t cook but just made your dal recipe absolutely delicious !
now to clean kitchen and all the mess i made but recipe results worth the mess !
Thank you !
swasthi says
Hi Susan,
You are welcome. Glad your dal turned out delicious. Thank you!
Deepa GV says
Tasty, wonderful