Moong dal recipe | How to make moong dal

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 moong dal 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 moong dal 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 moong dal is 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

1. 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 moong dal in a pot or instant pot. I have given the instructions for instant pot as well below.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. If you are not accessible to curry leaves just replace with bay leaf.
5. 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 moong dal.

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Moong dal recipe

Moong dal

Moong dal is a simple, delicious & healthy Indian side made with split mung beans & spices. This recipe will give you a very flavorful moong dal that you can serve with plain rice, roti or with any flat breads.

Prep Time2 minutes

Cook Time28 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Servings2 to 3

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Ingredients for moong dal

• ½ cup moong dal (or skinned split green gram)
• 1 ½ cups water (to cook dal)

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 grated or crushed

Spice powders for moong dal

• 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)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves (or cilantro finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (or dry mango powder) as needed

How to make the recipe

How to cook moong dal

• Rinse moong dal thrice in a pot or pressure cooker with ample amount of water. 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 moong dal

• 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 moong 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 the moong dal cools down a bit. Serve moong dal with rice, roti or any Indian bread.

NUTRITION

Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 656mg | Potassium: 409mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4.9% | Vitamin C: 49.8% | Calcium: 2.7% | Iron: 15.5%

Notes

Recipe notes for moong dal
This recipe can also be made with whole green gram or whole mung beans. Soak them for at least 4 hours before cooking.

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 moong dal in instant pot following these 2 methods.

First 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 pressure value in sealing position. Pressure cook for 9 mins. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Then follow the tempering as mentioned in the recipe card.

Second method is to make the moong dal directly in the inner pot of the instant pot. Then place the rice bowl on a long leg trivet. For this, do the tempering first, then fry onions, tomatoes, spice powders followed by adding the dal & water. Then place your trivet & then the rice bowl. Cover the rice bowl. Secure the lid with the pressure value in sealing position. Pressure cook for 9 mins.

When the pressure releases naturally then remove the moong dal & rice. Mash the dal if you prefer a smooth consistency.

Preparation

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.