Moong Dal Dhokla
Moong Dal dhokla is a healthy, tasty and nutritious dhokla variety made with whole mung beans, herbs and spices. They have a beany taste and flavor unlike Khaman. This snack is a savory steamed vegan cake that is protein-rich and guilt-free that you can enjoy any time.
I have been making this recipe after adapting it from a cookbook “Epicure’s Vegetarian Cuisines of India” by Asha Khatau. Here I have used whole green mung beans, but this dhokla can also me made with husked split yellow mung lentils.
Moreover what I liked about this recipe is that it is very easy to make and taste delicious. It also does not require curd (yogurt).
I liked this green gram dhokla recipe for its ease and of course health benefits. You can serve it as an evening snack.
This moong dal dhokla has the typical earthy moong bean taste and is savory and sour. It has a sour taste like that of idli. So if you like idli, you may also like this moong dal dhokla. I did not add sugar to the recipe. If you like a sweet taste, then you can add sugar to the dhokla mixture to get a sweet taste.
When I adapted this recipe for the first time, I was skeptical as I was not sure if the dhokla will break or will be perfectly round. I was amazed when it came out neatly in one piece from the pan.
I have been making this recipe for decades and it works like a charm every time. For a more nutritive boost to the dish, I have also added roasted sesame seeds to the tempering.
This is one healthy and nutritious snack that you can make for your family and loved ones.
Best accompaniment to moong dal dhokla is cilantro mint chutney or coconut chutney or any green chutney of your choice. Also, it can go well with raw papaya chutney or tamarind dates chutney.
If you love dhokla, then do check these following variations.
How to make Moong Dal Dhokla
1. Rinse 1 cup whole moong beans with water a couple of times. Then drain all the water. The mung beans in the photo look yellow due to the yellow lighting in the kitchen.
2. In a bowl, soak the moong beans in enough water for 6 to 7 hours or overnight.
3. Later drain all the water from the soaked moong beans and again rinse them with fresh water. Then drain all the water.
Add the moong beans to a grinder or blender jar. Also add 1 tablespoon coriander leaves (chopped) and ½ cup of water.
4. Grind to a semi coarse or semi-fine paste but make sure it is not gritty or very coarse. Also don’t make the paste too fine.
5. The batter should not be too thick nor thin but like a dhokla batter. Remove the batter in a mixing bowl or vessel and set aside.
6. Meanwhile in a large pan or pot take about 2 to 2.5 cups of water. Keep a metal stand or a trivet in the pan. Now heat the pan till the water comes to a boil.
7. Meanwhile, grease a steaming pan with some oil. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
8. Add 1 tablespoon ginger-green chili paste to the ground moong dal batter. To make the ginger-green chilli paste, crush 1 to 2 green chillies and 1.5 inches ginger in a mortar-pestle.
9. Next add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and salt as required. For a sweet-tangy dhokla, you can also 1 tablespoon sugar or according to taste at this step.
10. Mix very well.
11. Then add 1 teaspoon fruit salt or eno to the moong dal batter mixture. Eno is used as a leavening ingredient in this recipe.
12. Be quick and mix thoroughly but evenly.
Steaming moong dal dhokla
13. Immediately pour this dhokla mixture in the greased steaming pan.
14. Now carefully place the pan in the large pan where the water must have already started boiling by now. Ensure the water level is below the pan else water might enter the batter.
Note: Be careful as the water and the steam will be very hot. So you can use a pair of tongs to place the pan.
15. Cover the pan with a lid and steam for 12 to 15 minutes on medium heat till the batter is firm and cooked.
Check with toothpick or a wooden skewer and there should be no sticky batter on it.
16. Let the moong dal dhokla become warm. Then separate the edges with a butter knife and gently remove from the pan.
Making tempering
18. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for making tempering.
19. In a small pan, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
20. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them splutter.
21. Then add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
22. Add 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), 1 sprig curry leaves and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Mix well.
Note: To make it gluten free skip adding asafoetida or use gluten free asafoetida
23. Add 2 tablespoons water to the tempering. Mix well and let the water come to a boil. Be careful when adding water. You can switch off the heat while adding water.
To give some sweet notes to the tempering, you can add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar after you add the water. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved when the water boils.
24. When the water comes to a boil, then pour this tempering mixture evenly over the steamed moong dal dhokla. Garnish with ¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped) and ¼ cup grated coconut (optional).
25. Serve moong dal dhokla warm with coriander chutney or mint chutney or coconut chutney or tamarind chutney. You can have it any time of the day or as a tea time snack.
More Tasty Snacks recipes
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup whole moong beans (whole green gram)
- 1 tablespoon ginger-green chilli paste – 1 to 2 green chillies and 1.5 inches ginger finely crushed in mortar-pestle
- ½ cup water or as required for grinding moong beans
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt as required
- 1 teaspoon fruit salt or eno
For tempering
- 1 to 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 tablespoon water
For garnish
- ¼ cup coriander leaves – finely chopped
- ¼ cup grated coconut – optional
Instructions
Making green gram batter
- Pick and rinse the whole moong beans with water for a couple of times.
- Soak the moong beans in enough water for 6 to 7 hours or overnight. Then drain the water.
- Grind the soaked moong with coriander leaves and very ½ cup water to a semi coarse paste.
- Don’t make the paste too fine.
- Also the batter should not be too thick nor thin but like a dhokla batter.
Making moong dal dhokla
- Take about 2 to 2.5 cups of water in a large pan. Place a small metal stand or trivet in the pan. Bring the water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, grease a round pan with some oil.
- Add ginger-green chili paste, oil, lemon juice and salt to the ground moong mixture and mix well.
- Finally add fruit salt or eno to the dhokla mixture and mix very well.
- Immediately pour the leavened batter in the greased steaming pan.
- Place the pan in the large pan where the water must have already started boiling by now. Be careful as the water and the steam will be very hot. Best to use tongs for keeping the steamer pan with the batter.
- Cover the pan and steam for 12 to 15 minutes or till the dhokla is done. let the dhokla become warm and then you can remove it from the pan.
Making tempering
- In a small pan, heat oil.
- Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Then add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Add asafoetida (hing), curry leaves and roasted sesame seeds. Mix well.
- Then add 2 tablespoons water to the tempering. Mix well again and let this mixture come to a boil.
- Be careful when adding water. You can switch off the heat while adding water.
- Pour this tempering all over the steamed moong dal dhokla.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut.
- Serve warm with mint coriander chutney or coconut chutney or cilantro chutney. You can also serve it with your evening tea.
Nutrition
This recipe post from the archives (June 2012) has been republished and updated on 13 September 2021.
Thanks a lot for the detailed description. My kids love dhokla and this looks like a even more healthier version.
I am going to try this recipe on the coming weekend.
Tried this for breakfast … turned out nice & soft.
Great and thanks for letting me know.
I seen couple of your two recipe loves your Jain recipes thanks looking forward more Jain recipes
thanks. will try to add more jain recipes.
hi dassana, thank you so much for your wonderful recipe collection and detailed instructions. it’s opened up whole new worlds of cooking for me. it’s like culinary school for the home cook. 🙂 truly amazing effort.
if i may, could i please request a handvo recipe? i tried it in india, and it was delicious. i would really prefer a simpler recipe which can be made at home without special implements such as a handvo cooker. i do have an indian style pressure cooker, tava and stainless steel idli maker (not sure if this would be any help).
best wishes,
katie
thanks a lot katie for this lovely comment. i do plan to add handvo recipe. it has been requested by a few readers. i will add a simple method that can be made by everyone. even i do not have a handvo cooker 🙂
Love u Dassana for such amazing recipes.
God bless u
thanks kanchan for your sweet words and prayers.
May I pour the batter into an idli cooker to prepare dhokla? I am ok with Idli shaped Dhokla..
jaya, yes you can do this to make idli shaped dhoklas.
Also Favourites get lost once the app is closed.
smita, we will check it. which phone you are using and which app – android or apple. let me know. i am using android app and in my app the favorites are saved even after closing the app.
Hi Dassana, awesome website and loving the app too! Can I add turmeric to the batter to get some nice colour to the dhoklas? Thanks, Smita
thankyou smita glad you liked the app any suggestions are welcome. yes, you may add a pinch of turmeric and you are welcome.
Hello mam,
Can I use split green moong dal instead of whole moong?
yes suvidha, you can use split moong dal.
Hi, ur website is awesome and most recipes turn out awesome. For the first time one of ur recipes did not work for me. I tried this recipe in a pressure cooker. It came out very watery and did not set. It was a gooey mess. Could you please tell me where I could have gone wrong.( I used very little water for grinding. So mostly that wasn’t the issue). Thanks a lot.
thanks uday. i think what has happened is that you have pressure cooked the dhokla. it has be to steamed like we steam idlis in a pressure cooker. the vent weight/whistle has to be removed from the lid. the lid has to be secured tightly around the cooker. the steam passes through the vent and no pressure or steam is formed inside the cooker. some water has to be added inside the cooker. on a low to medium flame, the dhokla has to be steamed till set. another issue that can happen, if you follow this method is that the water has to just cover 0.5 to 1 inch of the pan. this also depends on the size, depth of the pan. while heating the water should not bubble and fall in the batter. this will also lead to the batter becoming more liquidy than what it was.
Thanks dassana . I did not use a weight, but maybe the problem was with the water levels. I will try again. Thanks a lot again for your wonderful recipes and easy to understand layout. Could you please add some more recipes that could be made using a microwave, especially baking stuff. Thanks.
Uday
fine 🙂 then it must be the water levels. it has happened with me too with an electric cooker. once i made idlis and in hurry i added extra water. the idlis were all soft and had become mushy. i do not add microwave recipes as i hardly use microwave for making any dish. but let me see. i will try.
Hello dasanna, amazing and very smoothening to the stomach but healthy too. I am from South , pure vegetarian and am greatly in appreciation of your devoted work. Receipies are perfect, no doubt. Keep forward with more and more. DK
Thanks DK ji for sharing this positive and motivating feedback. Glad to read your kind words.
Excellent … Co incidentally my friend shared it with me last week, I tried its beautiful. Nutritious too. Expecting more such recipe.
thanks vidya for sharing positive feedback.
Hey,
I owe a gratitude to u.. i have tried many recipes of urs including this dhokla. And trust me they all have come out so well.
everybdy loved it.. i enjoy cooking ur recipes cause of its simple and perfect explanation.
even the things i know how to make, i go through ur recipe first for any variation that i can make. Thank u so much. God bless u.
thanks bhavana for sharing your positive experience. i am touched to know that you trust my recipes so much. once again thanks for your blessings and kind words.
Will try the moong dal dhokla recipe and will definitely share with my friends too. Thanks
sure revati 🙂
i haven’t tried it yet but ur recipe looks yuummmyyyy!!!!!!
i am sure i wil try it………..
thanks gulaz
I made the moong daal dhokla (but with yello split moong dal),it came out so nice. Made in morning for b’fast. Hubby also loved it…Tq
welcome nimish and thanks for sharing your feedback.
hello, is it supposed to take the skin of the moong dal?
no need. just grind the soaked green mung beans with the skins.
hii dassana
tried this recipe …turned out well….it tasted like chilra though required much lesser oil …healthy n delicious and unique…thanks once again…. 🙂
thanks and welcome kirti.
I really like Tamarind Date Chutney i noted down recipe n i will definetly try it my home with bhel ok Thank you…
thanks megha.
hi dassana,
i made this and it was yummy and healthy……..
thanks for sharing
nishita
thanks for making the dhokla recipe, nishita…
thanks !!!
Never heard of Dhokla made with anything other than chickpea flour. This is very interesting!
I have a question when place the cake pan in pressure cooker I can use pan lid or let it steam open
when i made the dhokla, i did not cover the cake pan. you can steam the pan without a lid in the pressure cooker.
This is just so neat. I could never imagine making dhokla with whole mung beans.
Hey Dassana, I tried this healthy version of Dhokla for kids today, I added chopped coriander leaves to it , it turned out very soft. Tempering I did without the sesame seeds due to my picky kids :).
thanks anamika for making the dhokla. hope you as well as your kids liked it.
We all loved it and enjoyed eating as evening snacks, next time I plan to make it for self and will add green chilli paste too as suggested in your recipe, btw thanks for such easy to make wonderful recipes Dassana 🙂 .
welcome anamika 🙂
Great recipe! Can’t wait to try it. Do you have recipe on how to make moong dal? Do you have to soak it overnight? Pl. send the recipe. Thanks.
thanks katie. to make the dal just soak the whole moong beans for 1-2 hours and then pressure cook it. you can also make it without soaking, but this takes some more extra time while cooking the beans.
either temper first with the usual cumin, onion, garlic, ginger, green chilies tomatoes with turmeric, chili powder and salt- the way we do for regular dal and then add soaked moong plus water. pressure cook till done. add some garam masala in the end. whole moong dal can be very bland so remember to spice it up a little.
the other way is to make the cook the moong beans first and then give the tadka/tempering. you can make it either south indian style or north indian style. the above recipe is how we make it at home. may be i should post some nice whole moong dal recipes on the blog.
Healthy twist to the usual dhoklas we make..looks very tempting. Love the pics esp the lighting 🙂
thanks sharmi…..
hi Dassana wow.. dhoklas i just love dhoklas..i often make besan and suji dhoklas..this is a nice variation..i will definitely try it.
you will like these dhoklas suhani and they are healthy too.
Hi
have been following your recipe’s and found them to be very interesting, will try this dokla and let u have my comments
sure neela.
I love to eat dhokla, it is very healthy but i have not made dhokla at home. Now i will try this as per your recipe. I am from bengali family and i like to cook different dishes from various states.
yes smita, even i like to cook food from different indian states. do try the dhoklas at home. also i like bengali sweets so much…
the dhokla came out so fluffy and nicely done! i need to make thhis mung daal version soon!
Wow Dassana very neatly presented and very in formative kudos dear.
The dhokla looks good. In an earlier attempt, I made dhokla, the texture was good, but the taste was not the best. I used Eno lime flavoured salt I wonder if that made the difference. I do not know where to get the unflavoured one.
i used non flavored eno. it is better to use a non flavored one. you should be able to get this eno in any grocery store or a medical store.
Very interesting recipe. I haven’t really made dhokla at home. Will have to try it.
Hi
I have a question… Is there an alternative for the eno Pwd? Will surely try this out.
ritya, you can add baking soda instead of eno.