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 that 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 these lentils – Moong dal tadka and Moong dal fry. To make moong dal tadka, we cook the lentils with some spices and tomatoes. Then a hot tempering/tadka made with ghee, garlic and other spices is poured over the cooked lentils to make the dish more flavorful and delicious. To make Moong dal fry, you cook the lentils plain with only water. Later make a spicy base with onions tomatoes and spices. Lastly simmer the cooked lentils in this base. Both the methods taste different but delicious in their own way. If you ask me which one is better and why should you use one over the other. I would say it is just a matter of convenience & a choice of taste. So here you will see both the methods. Here are some tips on cooking moong dal perfectly:

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

  1. Saute for a minute and add rinsed & drained moong dal.
  2. Pour 2 cups water. Stir well with a spatula to deglaze the bottom.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Then add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional) and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.
  3. When the seeds splutter, add 1/8 teaspoon hing, 5 to 6 curry leaves and lastly ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder.
  4. 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 recipesChana dalMasoor dalDal makhaniDal fry recipeInstant 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

Related Recipes

Recipe Card 1

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

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a pan. Add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 broken red chili.
  2. 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.
  3. When ginger garlic smells good, add a pinch of hing (asafoetida). Then add chopped onions.
  4. Saute until the onions turn lightly pink or golden, add chopped tomatoes.
  5. 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.
  6. Pour ¾ cup water & bring it to a boil. Add mashed moong dal. Stir and bring everything to a boil.
  7. 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 recipe post is from the Archives. First published in October 2014. Updated and republished in May 2022.