Comforting Green Moong Dal made with mung beans, onions, tomatoes and spices! Pair with rice for a hearty meal.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Total time: Not specified
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml, I used avocado oil)
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 1 inch ginger (chopped)
  • 1 green chili (chopped, I used thai chili)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1 cup whole green mung beans (sabut moong dal, 210 grams)
  • 3 cups water (24 oz)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (plus more to garnish)
  • 1/2 lemon (juice of)

Tadka/Tempering

  • 2 teaspoons ghee (10 ml)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
  • 2 large garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (for color (it's not very hot))

Method

  1. Before you start soak the moong dal for 3 to 4 hours in 2 to 3 cups water. Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot add the oil and then add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for few seconds.
  2. Then add the chopped onion, ginger and green chili and cook for 2 minutes until onions are softened.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir and then add the spices- turmeric, coriander powder and garam masala. Also, add the salt and mix everything.
  4. Drain the water in which the dal was soaked and then add the dal to the Instant Pot. Add 3 cups water now and mix.
  5. Close the Instant Pot with lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. This will result in a very soft dal. If you don't like the dal to be very soft, then cook for 10 minutes only. If you haven't soaked the dal, then pressure cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
  6. Open the lid and give the dal a stir. Add in the chopped cilantro and squeeze in lemon juice.
  7. For the tadka, heat 2 teaspoons ghee in a small pan. Once the ghee is hot, add 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them sizzle and then add hing.
  8. Add sliced garlic and cook until the garlic starts changing color. Add kashmiri red chili powder, mix with a spoon and then remove pan from heat.
  9. Pour tadka over dal and serve green moong dal with rice or quinoa.

Stove-Top Pressure Cooker Instructions

  1. Follow all the steps as it is and then pressure cook for 10 to 12 whistles on medium-high heat. Let the pressure release naturally. Then make the tadka in a pan and pour over.

Stove-Top Pan Instructions

  1. If you don't have a pressure cooker and want to make this dal, I would suggest first soaking the dal overnight. Then follow all the steps as it is until adding the lentils. Add the lentils, water and then cook for around 30 minutes uncovered on medium heat until lentils are soft and done. Cook them to consistency you prefer. You may need to adjust the amount of water here as water will evaporate when cooking in an open pot compared to a pressure cooker. Make the tadka as usual and pour over cooked dal.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.