Warm, richly spiced, and built for a satisfying meal, Moong Dal Tadka is a vegetarian Indian main course made with moong dal dhuli, water, and tomato in about 35 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup moong dal dhuli (200 grams, also known as split petite yellow lentils)
  • 3 cups water (24 oz)
  • 1 medium tomato (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (or adjust to taste)

Tempering/Tadka

  • 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml, or you can also use ghee)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
  • 5-6 large garlic cloves (sliced)
  • 1-2 dried red chilies
  • 6-7 curry leaves
  • half lemon (juice of)
  • chopped cilantro

Method

  1. Add the rinsed moong dal along with 3 cups water, tomato, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt to a pressure cooker or Instant Pot and stir to combine.
  2. Press the high pressure or manual button and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes if using an Instant Pot. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release. If using a traditional pressure cooker, cook for 2 to 3 whistles on high heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
  3. Once the pressure is released, open the lid give the dal a stir. Adjust the consistency of dal at this point to your preference. I added 1/2 cup extra water at this point.
  4. Make the tadka/tempering by heating 1 tablespoon of oil (or you can use ghee) in a small pan on medium heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add hing and stir.
  5. Add the garlic and dried red chilies and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until garlic become light brown in color. Add the curry leaves and stir.
  6. Transfer the tadka to the dal and mix well. Finish by adding lemon juice and cilantro. Serve moong dal over rice or grain of choice for a hearty meal.

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.