Moong Dal (skinned split mung gram) is amongst one of the most commonly used lentils in India. There are many recipes made with it. In this post I am sharing 2 popular moong dal recipes.
- Moong Dal Tadka
- Moong Dal Fry
Both the recipes are easy, popular and taste good. You can make either of them.
What is Moong Dal
Mung beans are called as Moong Dal in India. Mung beans also know green gram or moong. In the Indian Cuisine, both the whole lentils and the split ones are used.
The whole mung beans have a green color and when they are husks are removed, you see the yellow color of the beans.
Mung beans are a staple in the Indian cuisine. We make a variety of dishes with it from stews, soups to sweet dishes.
According to ayurveda, Moong dal is tridoshic meaning it balances all the three doshas which are kapha, vata and pitta.
Moong lentils are highly nutritious and easy to digest. They are light on the stomach if cooked in a simple & minimal way, thereby making these an excellent food for small kids and convalescing people. In Ayurvedic diets or in detox diets, moong dal is a recommended lentil.
Difference between Dal Tadka & Dal Fry
Though both dal tadka and dal fry may look same, the preparation and the final taste of each dish is different.
- Dal Fry is made by cooking the lentils in a pan or pressure cooker. Onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices are sautéed in some oil and ghee. To this sautéed mixture the cooked dal is added and further simmered.
- Dal Tadka is made by cooking the lentils with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Spices like cumin, mustard seeds, dry red chillies and herbs like garlic or coriander leaves or curry leaves are fried in oil or ghee. This fried mixture of the hot oil with the spices and herbs are then added to the cooked dal.
- Variations: Of course with both the preparations, you can always change the core ingredients (apart from the lentils) including the spices and herbs. Plenty of variations are possible in both dal tadka as well as dal fry recipes.
About This Moong Dal Tadka Recipe
This is one of the delicious vegan dal, I make with yellow mung lentils which have been husked and are split.
Some people don’t like moong dal as it is a little bland. But trust me this punjabi moong dal tadka is not bland and taste very good.
It has the flavors of tempered cumin, garlic, garam masala and red chili powder. Once you make this delicious moong dal recipe, you are not going to hate moong dal anymore.
This Moong Dal Tadka is extremely good with some steamed basmati rice accompanied by a side vegetable dish or raita. Have some roasted papad and lemon or mango pickle also by the side. A truly comfort and satisfying meal.
I paired the moong dal tadka with some steamed sona masoori rice and aloo methi.
Some More Mung Dal Recipes
- Cabbage Kootu – tasty South Indian style recipe of cabbage and moong lentils with coconut and spices.
- Yellow Moong Dal Fry – easy to make delicious dal with mung lentils, onions, tomatoes and spices.
- Dhansak Recipe – a vegetable and lentil preparation from the Parsi cuisine.
- Parippu Curry – a delicious moong dal curry made with coconut and spices.
- Green Moong Dal – homely recipe of dal made with whole green moong beans.
How to make Moong Dal Tadka
1. Rinse ½ cup of moong dal (split husked mung lentils) in water.
2. In a pressure cooker add 1 medium sized finely chopped onion, 1 medium sized chopped tomato and ½ inch finely chopped ginger. next add ⅓ teaspoon turmeric powder and ¼ teaspoon red chili powder in the cooker.
3. Next add 1.5 cups water to the cooker. Stir well.
Pressure cooking moong dal
4. Pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles on medium flame till the dal is cooked and soft. Once the pressure settles down, remove the lid and stir the dal.
5. If the dal looks thick, then add some water.
6. Simmer the moong dal for 1 to 2 minutes or more till you get the right consistency.
7. Add salt as required and stir well. Keep the dal aside.
Tempering for Moong Dal
8. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for tempering. In a small pan, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or ghee or butter.
9. First fry 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. The cumin seeds should change color and crackle. Fry on a low to medium-low heat so that the spices do not get burnt.
10. Next add 4 to 5 lightly crushed garlic cloves and 1 to 2 slit green chilies. Fry for some seconds. Don’t brown the garlic. Switch off the flame.
11. Now add ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Switching off the flame ensures that the spice powders don’t get burned.
12. Quickly mix the spice powders well with a spoon.
13. Immediately pour the tempering mixture in the moong dal.
14. Stir the moong dal.
15. Serve Moong Dal Tadka hot with steamed rice or chapatis. The moong dal tastes better as it is and there is no need to garnish or add coriander leaves to it. But if you want you can always garnish with some coriander leaves. For a slight tang you can also squeeze some lemon juice.
This recipe post is from the archives (May 2013) and has been republished and updated on 5 June 2020.
Moong Dal Tadka
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- ½ cup moong dal (split skinned mung lentils)
- 1 medium sized / ⅓ cup finely chopped onions
- 1 medium size tomato - chopped
- ½ inch ginger (adrak) - finely chopped or grated
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅓ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1.5 cups water
- salt as required
For Tempering
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 to 5 small to medium-sized garlic - crushed lightly
- ¼ or ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 or 2 green chilli - slit
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing) - optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoon oil or ghee or butter
Instructions
Pressure Cooking Moong Dal
- In a pressure cooker take the chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and finely chopped ginger. Also add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and water to the cooker. Mix well.
- Pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles on medium flame till the moong lentils are softened well. Once the pressure settles down, remove the lid and stir the dal.
- If the dal looks thick, then add some water and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Add salt. Mix very well and keep aside. Check the taste and if required you can add more salt.
Making Moong Dal Tadka
- In a small pan, heat oil or ghee or butter. First fry the cumin seeds.
- Next add the garlic and green chili and fry for some seconds. Don't brown the garlic. Switch off the flame.
- Now add the garam masala powder, red chili powder and asafoetida. Switching off the flame earlier ensures that the spice powders don't get burned.
- Quickly stir and immediately pour the tempering mixture in the dal.
- Stir the dal and serve hot moong dal with steamed rice or chapatis.
- The moong dal tadka tastes better as it is and there is no need to garnish or add coriander leaves to it. But if you want you can always garnish with some coriander leaves. For a slight tang you can also squeeze some lemon juice.
Notes
- Soaking: You can soak the lentils for 20 to 30 minutes and this will speed up the cooking time.
- Green Chillies: You can use serrano peppers instead of the Indian green chillies. You can even replace the green chillies with dried red chillies.
- Consistency: You can have a thick or medium or thin consistency of the dal by adding less water or more water later.
- Asafoetida: If you do not have asafoetida, skip it.
- Spicing: You can decrease or increase the herbs & spices like red chilli powder, green chillies, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds according to your preferences. But do not increase the amount of turmeric powder.
Nutrition Info (approximate values)
About Moong Dal Fry
This is a quick and easy Punjabi recipe of delicious moong dal fry at home which I often make. I make a variety of lentils on a daily basis and mung dal happens to be one of them.
In this Moong dal fry recipe, the mung lentils are cooked first. Then a sautéed mixture of onions, tomatoes and spices is added to the cooked mung lentils which is then simmered for some more minutes. The end result is a smooth creamy moong dal.
Legumes or dal are a staple in the Indian Cuisine and there are so many ways of making them. In the Indian Cuisine, you will find many variations of dal – from the simplest basic version made with minimal ingredients to spicy or rich versions made with many ingredients.
Each Indian state has their own versions of a dal tadka or dal fry. In the state itself, the versions keep on changing in some cities or towns.
You can serve the moong dal fry with Indian flat breads like roti, paratha or with cumin rice or steamed basmati rice.
How to make Moong Dal Fry
1. Firstly pick and rinse 1 cup moong dal (split and husked mung lentils). You can also rinse the mung lentils in a colander.
2. Then add the mung lentils in the pressure cooker along with 2.5 cups of water. Now add 1 pinch of turmeric powder.
3. Stir and mix very well.
4. Pressure cook the lentils for 3 to 4 whistles or till the lentils are soft and mushy.
5. Mash the lentils with a spoon.
6. Add 1 cup water or as required, to get the desired consistency.
7. Add salt as required and stir well.
8. On a low flame, keep the dal to simmer.
Making moong dal fry
9. Meanwhile, measure and keep all the ingredients ready. In a kadai or pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil along with ½ tablespoon butter.
10. Crackle 1 teaspoon cumin seeds first.
11. Then add 1 medium sized chopped onion. Sauté the onions till light brown.
12. Then add ½ inch chopped ginger, 3 to 4 chopped garlic, 1 green chili & 1 dry red chili. Saute for half a minute.
13. Add 1 medium sized tomato which has been chopped. Saute till the tomatoes soften.
14. Then add ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir well.
15. Then add ½ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves.
16. Stir and continue to saute till oil starts to leave the sides of the masala.
17. Continue to saute for 1-2 minutes more after oil has started to leave the sides.
18. Add this mixture to the simmering dal.
19. Stir and simmer the dal for 2-3 minutes or more. You have to simmer till the flavors have blended well in the moong dal and you get the desired consistency.
20. If you prefer you can add a few drops of lemon juice.
21. Mix well. Taste the dal and add salt if required. Switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.
22. Serve Moong Dal Fry with steamed rice, cumin rice or with Indian flatbreads like roti, paratha or naan.
Moong Dal Fry
Ingredients
For cooking moong dal
- ½ cup split and husked mung lentils (yellow moong dal)
- 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking * check notes on cooking the lentils in a pot
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 1 cup water - to be added later when the dal is simmering or add as the consistency required
Other Ingredients
- 1 medium sized onion - finely chopped
- 1 medium sized tomato - finely chopped
- 1 green chili - slit or chopped
- 1 dry red chili
- ½ inch ginger - finely chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (crushed kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoon oil + ½ tbsp butter
Instructions
Cooking Moong Dal
- Pick and rinse the mung lentils first.
- Then add the lentils in the pressure cooker along with water and turmeric powder.
- Stir and pressure cook the lentils for 3 to 4 whistles till the dal is soft and mushy.
- Mash the moong dal with a spoon.
- Stir in some salt and add water as required to get the desired consistency. Keep the dal to simmer on a low flame.
Making Yellow Moong Dal Fry
- Heat oil along with the butter. Crackle the cumin seeds first.
- Add onions and fry till light brown.
- Now add the ginger, garlic, green chilies & dry red chili. Saute for half a minute.
- Add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes soften.
- Add all the red chili powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, kasuri methi and coriander leaves.
- Stir and continue to saute till oil starts to leave the sides of the masala.
- Continue to sauté for 1 to 2 minutes more after oil has started to leave the sides.
- Add this mixture to the simmering dal.
- Stir and simmer the dal for 2 to 3 minutes or more till the flavors have well blended in the dal and till you get the desired consistency.
- If you prefer you can add a few drops of lemon juice to the dal.
- Serve Moong Dal Fry garnished with coriander leaves with steamed rice, cumin rice or even chapatis.
Notes
- Soak the lentils in water for about 30 to 40 minutes. Then drain them and add in a pot.
- Add about 2 cups of water. Cover and let the lentils cook till done.
- If the mung lentils begin to froth, then remove the scum and continue to cook without a lid or the lid partly covered.
- You can also add a few drops of oil to reduce the frothing.
Excellent recipe????
My new favorite. Exactly perfect.
This came out delicious! I used ginger garlic paste instead of fresh ginger. The dal took 18 minutes to cook on the stove with no pressure cooker. I also used the type of split moong dal with skins on and it doesn’t change a thing. Thank you for the recipe!
thanks for sharing the feedback and review on moong dal recipe. ready ginger garlic paste can be used. this moong dal recipe can be easily made with split moong dal. the taste will be as good as this one. welcome and happy cooking.
how long does one cook the daal in the pressure cooker? 10 minuets? 15? You didn’t say….
you can cook dal in a pressure cooker for about 6 to 7 minutes on a medium flame.
Can I use ginger & garlic paste instead of using the ginger n garlic separately? Hope I can pressure cook it
yes you can use ginger-garlic paste together.
I like all recipe
Thanks Deepak
Dont have a pressure cooker, so using a pot. Dal comes out a bit hard. Even though i have soaked dal in water for many hours. Any idea ?
when cooking dal in a pan or pot, it does take time to cook. try soaking overnight or for atleast 4 to 5 hours. also use fresh dal. dals which are aged take a lot of time to cook and even after cooking them there is some hardness.
Thank you for this delicious recipe Dassana,it has become a favourite for my mum. God bless you : )
Welcome Tanusha. Thanks for your best wishes and positive feedback.
I used this dal only to make khichdi but this recipe is awesome n nw I cook it very often thanks a lottttttttttttt…..
Welcome Malkeet. Nice to know this.
Hi! What can I do if I don’t have a pressure cooker?
cook the lentils along with the other ingredients, covered in a pan or pot. add water as required. you can soak the lentils for 30 minutes before cooking them.
I used to hate moong dal, to me it always meant food for a sick tummy. But fortunately, I found this recipe and I can’t thank you enough for it, Dassana. I have started preparing it frequently, sick or not.
welcome nidhi. glad to know that you liked this recipe.
Hello,
Wondering what you mean by lightly crushing garlic and slot chillies.
Helen, crush them lightly in a mortar and pestle. don’t make a paste. just crush it lightly.
Thank you 🙂
welcome helen
Hi when I try making moong dal in pressure cooker it gets lumpy and gets thick in some time after I open the pressure cooker what to do?
radhika, if the moong dal gets cooked too much,, then it becomes lumpy. so cook for less time or less number of whistles. in case the dal becomes lumpy, then add some hot water and then break the lumps with a spoon or use a hand blender to do the same.
Thank you so much
I love all recipes with detailed instructions and pictures
I really got interested after going through your recipes
today I prepared dal tadka with allo fry it tasted yummy… my friend’s too liked it.
pleased to know this thankyou so much deepthi 🙂 for your positive feedback.
i never enjoyed dals as much I do today after following your recipes. Yes you have coming back for more and more every single time….. How do you do that !!!
Thank you thank you thank you!!
welcome welcome sheetal 🙂 and thankyou so much.
My pressure cooker doesn’t have a whistle. So how many minutes should I pressure cook for? And Should I soak the beans before hand?
no need to soak the beans. pressure cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
Thanks a lot!
Simply, delicious and awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Asghar Saudi Arabia
thankyou and welcome asghar 🙂
Your recipes are really simple and the outcome really tasty. It has become an habit to refer your receipies for the regular everyday cooking too.
very pleased to know this seema 🙂 thankyou for your positive and kind words.
very helpful!!!!!!!thnks
welcome vivek 🙂
Amazing and very easy to make ! Thank you so much 🙂
welcome always nida 🙂
Can I make Moong Dal without a pressure cooker?
Yes you could make moong dal without the pressure cooker but that would take a longer time to cook the lentils. Hope this help’s you.
Very awesome dish in a very less time.
It has become a daily routine for me to visit your website
thankyou sonia 🙂 pleased to know this.
Hi Dassana,
You are my life line. Every day I refer to your websites for recipes even though I know how to prefer a particular dish. I am a big foodie and love the way to describe each and every step and the quantities you mention are just perfect. Even my sister who prepare lovely food refers to your website. Thanks a ton for making life of many of us easier and tastier. God bless you
we are very pleased to know this nandini 🙂 thankyou for your kind and encouraging words god bless you and you sister.
Hi dasanna,
All your recipes are fantastic and easy to follow. ..I simply love to try them and almost all of them hit at my place. Can you please give us the recipe of green moong dal
thanks vidhya. nice to know this. i will try to add the recipe soon.
Hi Dassana-ji, I have noticed that I write 10 times more than the other responsees – so I better be terse, and to the point …. even at the expense of my humor….
First of all, thank you for printing my letter.
I read somewhere – in your recipes, in a reply to a letter, ( Mah. Amti recipes – March 31, 2015) that you recommend throwing out the ‘wash water’ – used for say, soaking beans and dals, before cooking. I think you wrote that the soaked water ( supernatent ) should be discarded, – ‘because it contains phytates’. Here is a link Are phytates good or bad – by Dr. Andrew Weil M.D. . Dr. Weil is. supposedly, as highly respected, here in the US, as say, Dr. Deepak Chopra. I believe myself to be a hedonist, only interested in good food, irrespective of nutrition, soo I don’t read either of them or – for that matter, – any of them …..
But I do believe, that if urad dal is soaked in water for grinding into dosa or idli dough – you should reuse the water that it was soaked in because then the resulting fermentation is much more successful and faster. This is not as important in India, where there are plenty of bacteria to help , ;-o) and the ambient temperatures are relatively higher, at all times of the year – but, say, in the US, where the temperatures can be very cold – then fermentation of the dough can present a challenge. For the idli/dosa dough I have found that adding some poha, some puffed rice, one slice of bread and some methi seeds – all before the grinding – can do wonders for fermentation.
Have you used Teppals / Tirphal in your recipes ? Since I have a konkani background , I have used them sometimes, — here is a good description, with pictures .
there are a few readers of the blog who write a lot. so you have company 🙂
i agree on the point of soaking lentils or legumes in water in both the points you mentioned. when i soak rajma or chana, then i do discard the soaked water. but for idli or dosa, i use the soaked water for grinding the urad dal. because as you mentioned it helps in better fermnentation and also fermentation changes the quality of nutrients in the batter. an indian climate is very good for fermenting idli or dosa batter. i also add methi seeds, poha or cooked rice while grinding the batter. thanks for sharing the tip on bread. never tried bread. also thanks for sharing the links.
i use teppals/tirphal in usal or the goan vegetarian curries i make. i also use them while making schezwan sauce. i still have a stock of them at home 🙂
Hi Dassanaji, I tried your Mung dal recipe as above, and it came out great ! I had already mixed equal quantities of mung and masoor dal ( old, old, stock, that I had to use up – ) and pressure cooked them for 12 minutes. Unfortunately, our pressure cookers in the USA do not whistle, …. so we have to use a timer …. and do the whistling ourselves . I generally whistle the song,’Pyar kiya toh darna kya – from Mughal-E-Azam.’. ;-0)
Then I came here and read out your recipe …. so I had to fry the onions and the ubiquitous tomato in the tadka. We ate the dal with some Kali Jeera rice. In my humble opinion, the kali jeera rice – the socalled ‘pearl grained basmati rice’ — is a waste of time and money. Just my personal opinion. The wife and I ate the dal with the kali jeera rice and some chana masala, that I made yesterday – and now we’re well fed and snug as a bug in the rug. Thanks for your glorious recipes !!! Next week, I am going for Mt. Everest — I am going to try to make your khasta masala peas kachori !
welcome gary ji. your comment made us laugh. thanks for sharing positive feedback. i hope peas kachori comes out well.
I hav tried it was easy and delicious loved it. Great work looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
thanks shilpa. glad to know this.
Hi Dassana, I like your website and the variety of the recipes. Actually, I m looking for a new way how to make yellow mung dal (the tiny yellow dal) in order to find out the more delicious one. I got confused here, is this a yellow mung dal? if not, is there a recipe in your blog to call for that dal please. thank you in advance
welcome redha. this is a yellow moong dal recipe only.
Can you please provide sukhi moong dal recipe… With or without capscicum. Thanks
welcome tassy. i have added it in the requested recipes list. will try to post it soon.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It came out very well. I had it with parathas but would try it with white rice later. Best wishes, Asghar
welcome asghar. thanks for sharing positive feedback and your experience.