This Moong dal is comforting, hearty, flavorful and super tasty!! Make this for a perfect, easy and wholesome Indian meal that’s gluten-free and can be made vegan. Serve it with plain rice, flavored rice, roti, naan or parathas alongside kachumber, chaas or lassi. In this post I share 2 ways to make moong dal recipe – moong dal fry and moong dal tadka with stovetop and instant pot instructions.
In Indian cuisine, we cook many different kinds of lentils and in fact our everyday diet consists of lentils. Moong dal is one of them which is used regularly. If you are new to lentils you may be interested to know more
About Moong Dal
Moong dal is the split version of whole mung beans also known as green gram, either with or without skin. The skinned version is known as yellow moong dal, yellow dal or yellow petite lentils. Split version with the skin is known as chilka moong dal, chilka mung or split green mung. These have the green skin intact and only the mung beans are split.
Both kinds of split moong dal (with & without skin) can be used in most preparations. They can also be used interchangeably if you are okay with the color of the dish. So using split moong dal with skin is the same as using the whole green gram except for the cooking 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).
Hence moong dal is used widely to make various dishes like Dal khichdi, sambar, stew, soups, salads, curry, stir fry, pesarattu and Moong dal dosa.
Since moong dal is easily digestible, it can be consumed by most people including babies, without any problems.
My recipe
Tired of bland and boring moong dal? Then you got to try my recipes. You will be surprised at how a simple lentil dish can taste so good, bursting with flavors.
There are 2 ways you can cook your moong dal. You either cook the lentils plain & then simmer them in the tempering or you cook the lentils with the spices, onions and tomatoes. Lastly, optionally temper the spiced moong dal. So here you will see both the methods.
Here are some tips
- Avoid overcooking – This make the dal sticky.
- Use good amount of water – Dal becomes too thick and lumpy after cooling so mung dal requires more water.
- A lot of people also prefer to dry roast the moong dal before cooking as this helps to make the dal more flavoursome 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.
How to make moong dal tadka (stepwise photos)
1. Rinse and soak half cup moong dal until you prepare the onions and tomatoes. Chop 1 small onion (¼ cup chopped) and 1 large tomato (½ cup chopped). When you are ready to cook, drain the water from the moong dal.
2. Pour 1 tbsp oil to a pressure cooker or an instant pot. 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. Fry the onions until transparent, for 2 to 3 mins.
4. Add half chopped tomatoes (deseeded, if preferred) and half teaspoon salt.
5. Saute for 2 mins and add the following spices
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
6. Saute for a minute and add rinsed & drained moong dal.
7. Pour 2 cups water. 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.
9. When the pressure drops, open the lid and mix well. 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. Taste test and more salt if required. If you want you can also crush 1 tsp kasuri methi and add it here.
Your moong dal is ready at this stage and you may serve it right away or do 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, 5 to 6 curry leaves and lastly ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder.
13. Turn off quickly at this stage to avoid burning the spices.
Remove this and pour over the cooked moong dal. Gently stir it and serve. We always prefer lemon juice in all of our lentils. If you prefer you may add while serving.
More Dal recipes
Chana dal
Masoor dal
Dal makhani
Dal fry recipe
Instant pot dal & rice
Instant pot moong dal tadka (PIP)
I make both moong dal fry and moong dal tadka in my instant pot. There are many ways you can make it in a instant pot. Most often I prefer to cook dal & rice in 2 separate bowls (PIP) at one time in the instant pot. Then I just do a tadka to the cooked dal. I have shared the moong dal tadka and moong dal fry both in the recipe cards.
1. To make the moong dal tadka, rinse half cup moong dal in a bowl. Drain and pour 1½ cups water. Add chopped green chilies and tomatoes. I don’t use onions for this method. Cover the bowl and place it over the rice bowl in the instant pot.
2. Secure the Instant pot with lid, with the steam release handle set to sealing position. Pressure cook for 9 to 10 mins and wait for natural release. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Later remove the dal, add salt and mash it. If it is too thick then, pour some hot water.
3. For the tempering, heat ghee in a small tadka pan. Add mustard & cumin. When they splutter, add red chilli, green chilies & ginger garlic. Optionally add curry leaves too and hing.
4. Turn off the heat and add red chilli powder, garam masala and turmeric. Add this to the cooked moong dal. Stir and serve. Cool down slightly and then squeeze lemon juice.
Pro Tips
- 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, 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 lentils. Then I saute the spinach in the tempering pan until it wilts. Then add the cooked dal.
Related Recipes
Recipe card 1
Moong dal recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ½ cup moong dal (yellow mung lentils)
- ¼ cup onions (1 small onion fine chopped)
- ½ cup tomatoes (1 large tomato, deseeded & chopped)
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger (peeled & fine chopped)
- 1 green chili (slit or chopped, deseeded if required)
- 4 to 5 curry leaves (or 1 bay leaf)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 ¾ to 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
For tempering
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil or butter
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 dried red chilli
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 6 to 8 curry leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon hing (asafoetida, optional)
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
Instructions
- Add moong dal to a bowl and rinse it well and drain the water. Repeat rinsing a few times until the water runs clear. Let soak until you prepare the rest.
- Chop onions, tomatoes, green chilies and ginger.
- Pour 1 tablespoon oil to a pressure cooker or pot. When the oil becomes slightly hot, add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add ginger, green chilies and 4 to 5 curry leaves.
- Let them fry until aromatic for about a minute.
- Add onions and fry them until pink, for 2 to 3 mins.
- Add tomatoes and salt. Saute for 1 to 2 mins and add turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala.
- Saute until the spices begin to smell good, for about 1 to 2 mins.
- Drain the water from the moong dal and add the lentils here. Pour water and mix well to deglaze the bottom of the cooker or pot.
- Cover and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles on a medium flame. (Or in the instant pot for 10 mins). If cooking in a pot, pour more hot water as required and cook uncovered until the lentils are soft.
- When the pressure drops, open the lid and add kasuri methi. If you prefer you can mash the moong dal a bit.
- Taste test and add more salt if required.
- Moong dal is ready at this stage and you can serve it as is. For extra flavour you may proceed to the next steps.
Tempering
- Pour 1 tablespoon ghee to a small pan and heat it on a medium flame.
- Add the crushed garlic and red chillies. Let the garlic fry a bit but not brown.
- Turn down the heat to low and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
- Turn off the heat and add red chilli powder and hing.
- Pour this to the moong dal and mix gently. When the dal cools down a bit squeeze some lemon juice and serve.
Notes
- Lentils: You may use any other skinned lentils of choice. Even whole lentils like green gram or whole masoor dal can be used in this recipe.
- Cooking in pot: If you do not have a cooker, simply cook the lentils in a sauce pot. Lentils cooked in pot require more water so add hot water as they cook. Note that you will have to cook them uncovered to avoid overflowing.
- Soaking: You may soak the mung dal for at least 30 mins before cooking to cut down the cook time, especially if cooking in a pot.
- Vegetables: For more nutrition, you may add a small chopped carrot or 1 cup of chopped spinach.
- Curry leaves: You may skip curry leaves if you don’t have. If you have a bay leaf you may add that.
- No onion no garlic: You can easily skip the onion and garlic in the recipe. You may substitute garlic with half inch peeled ginger.
- Chilies: You can skip green and red chilies. But require red chilli powder for heat.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
How to make moong dal fry (stepwise pics)
1. Add ½ cup moong dal to a pot or cooker. Rinse it well a few times until the water runs clear. Pour 1½ cups water.
2. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on a medium flame. If cooking in a pot, cook it on a medium heat adding more water as needed. Moong dal should be soft cooked. When the pressure releases naturally, open the cooker and mash it to your liking.
3. While the moong dal cooks,
- fine chop 1 small onion
- fine chop or puree 1 large tomato
- chop or slit 1 to 2 green chilies
- Grate or fine chop 1 teaspoon ginger garlic (half inch ginger, 2 garlic cloves)
Tempering
4. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a pan. Add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 broken red chili.
5. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add 1 teaspoon fine chopped or grated ginger garlic and 1 to 2 chopped green chilies. Add 1 sprig curry leaves or bay leaf. Curry leaves lend a good aroma and is healthy too so I add them.
6. When ginger garlic smells good, add a pinch of hing (asafoetida). Then add chopped onions.
7. Saute until the onions turn lightly pink or golden, add chopped tomatoes.
8. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon turmeric. Saute until tomatoes turn completely soft and mushy. You can also add ¼ teaspoon chili powder and ¼ teaspoon garam masala for extra heat and flavor. Saute well for a minute.
9. Pour ¾ cup water & bring it to a boil. Add mashed moong dal. Stir and bring everything to a boil.
10. Optional – Add ½ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi and ½ teaspoon amchur powder. If you do not have amchur powder, add lemon juice just before serving.
Taste test and add more salt if needed. If the consistency is too thick, add some hot water.
Serve moong dal fry with plain rice, jeera rice or paratha.
Recipe card 2
Moong dal fry
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ½ cup moong dal (or skinned split green gram)
- 1½ cups water (same for IP)
Tempering ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil (or ghee or butter)
- 1 dried red chili (broken & deseeded if required)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ( jeera)
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) (skip if you don't have)
- 1 sprig curry leaves or bay leaf (optional)
- 1 green chilies chopped (deseeded for low heat, optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic fine chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger fine chopped
Spice powders
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala
Other ingredients
- 1 small onion (¼ cup chopped)
- 1 large tomato (½ cup chopped, deseeded if required)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) (optional)
- ¼ to ¾ cup water (more or less for consistency)
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (cilantro finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or ½ tsp amchur or dry mango powder) as needed
Instructions
- 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 and completely cooked.
- Pressure cooker for 3 to 4 whistles on a medium heat. If cooking in a instant pot – Place the bowl inside the instant pot, secure the lid & cook for 10 mins on a high pressure.
- Once the pressure releases, open the lid and check. Moong dal must be soft cooked. If you like smooth & creamy dal then mash it 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 saute onions until transparent. Next saute tomatoes until soft & mushy.
- Add turmeric, salt, garam masala and chilli powder. Saute for a min until aromatic.
- Pour half cup water and bring it to a boil. Then transfer cooked dal. Pour more water if needed to bring to a desired consistency.
- Dal is usually made to a thick but of pouring consistency. It turns thick upon cooling.
- 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, dried red chilli and curry leaves or bay leaf.
- When they splutter, add asafoetida (hing), onions and green 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 PRESSURE COOK button and set the timer to 10 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.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made with whole green gram or whole mung beans. Increase the cook time.
- Timings for rice and dal together in instant pot, 8 mins if cooking with basmati rice. 10 mins if using normal rice.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Moong dal recipe post is from the Archives. First published in October 2014. Updated and republished in August 2021.
I have been cooking dal from 20 years but never made it like you showed and perhaps this is very delicious and easy. My family loved it. Would appreciate if you keep sending recipes in igtv. I see you are not there regularly. Thank you
Hello Mrs. Arvind,
Glad to know your family loved it. Yes I am not very active on social media. I will try. Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
I have made a few recipes from here and all of them turned out beautifully. This is one of the best moong dal recipe I have found. Although I had to leave out green chilies and ginger this turned out wonderful. This is a fabulous base recipe. So I intend to add vegetables and spinach next time. Thank you for all the amazing recipes.
Hi Riya
Glad you liked it. Thank you
Sawasthi,
In the past 1.5 years you and a couple of other fab cooks are my best friends!
Thank you for putting up easy, delicious and everyday recipes!
Eternally grateful
Glad to know Smita
Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
🙂
hello, could you tell me what pip means, thankyou.
Hi John,
PIP is pot in pot, where we keep a pot inside the steel insert of the Instant pot.
I just love this Dhall. A lovely reciope. I now have an Instant Pot can I ask you where you get your inner stainless steel rice bowls. I have not been able to find any anywhere?
Many thanks
Dave
Hi David,
Glad to know! I buy from a local Chinese store here in Singapore. They are available on amazon. 18 to 19 cm bowls are good to go in a 6Qt IP. Hope this helps
Thanks swasthi I’ll have another look on there! Cooked your recipe again tonight.
My favourite Dall x
This turned out delicious! Out of all the food blogs I frequent, yours is the only one where I never need to adjust the spices – always the perfect amount!
Hi Jeannie
Thank you! Glad to know!
🙂
fabulous. I added all of the optional ingredients and it was great. I’ve been making dal for over a decade and your tadka is among the best. YUM! Thank you very much.
Welcome Lisa
So glad to know you liked it. Thank you so much!
This was the 1st thing I tried making in my Instapot. So fast and delicious! Thanks.
Welcome Cammie
Glad to know!
Thanks for leaving a comment
I made this recipe for my family today with basmati rice, grilled chicken tikka masala and homemade naan. I was a little skeptical that they wouldn’t care for it because lentils are not really a favorite in our home but my husband, son and his girlfriend LOVED it! Ate up the entire pot! My husband said we should have it at least once a week!! Thank you for posting it! Will be using it again, for sure!
Welcome Sarah
So glad your family loved it. Thank you!
Hi, I tried moong dal recipe, I turned out delicious, everybody liked it
Hi Anupama
Glad to know!
Thank you
Hi Swasthi…
I am a big fan of your recipes
Your recipes makes me feel, cooking an easy job
Thanks a lot
Swasthi, so so grateful for your website! Everything I’ve made for my toddler is just excellent and he actually ate it. THANK YOU!!! Sending you love and hugs for all your effort and work 🙂
Hi Shonali
You are welcome! So happy to know!
Thank you so much!
Lots of love to the little one!
🙂
Excellent Recipe. Thanks for sharing this with us.
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!
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.
🙂
Hi, Swasthi,
I have decided to try both and I have already bought moong dal as well.
Thanks a lot for your reply!
Hi Magda
Hope you enjoy them
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.
You are welcome Winnie!
Glad to know it turned out good.
Thank you
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 !
Hi,
You are welcome!
Hing goes after the whole spices. I updated it. Thank you
Your recipe is awesome able to feed my family especially during lock down. Thank you for writing the blog
Hi Rajashree,
Thank you! Glad to know!
Awesome recipe. Fell in love with yellow dal again!
Thank you Ankit,
Glad you liked it
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?
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.
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!
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.
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!
You are welcome! Glad you liked it. Thank you so much!