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A spoonful of basmati rice and green moong dal with 2 bowls of rice and lentils in the background.
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5 from 4 votes

Green Moong Dal (Sabut Moong Dal)

Green Moong Dal also known as Green Gram or Mung Beans is high in antioxidants and one of the healthiest dals. This dal is made with ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onions, and Indian spices.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Nisha Kapur

Equipment

Ingredients

for pressure cooking dal

  • 1 1/2 cups green moong dal (mung beans) washed, rinsed & soaked
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt

for cooking dal & spices

  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 black cardamom moti elachi
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp carom seeds ajwain
  • 1/8 tsp hing asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 inch ginger chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 green chilies slit
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 plum tomatoes chopped
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • add cooked dal
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp amchur mango powder
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro more if needed
  • squeeze of fresh lemon juice

for tadka (tempering)

  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing)
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

Instructions

Step 1 - Soak & Pressure Cook Sabut Moong Dal

  • Wash and rinse 1 1/2 cups of green moong dal well. Then soak the sabut moong dal in enough water for 5 hours. I generally soak the dal in 4 times the water amount.
  • Then drain the dal. Wash and rinse it well. Add the dal to the Instant Pot along with 4 cups of water. Add salt and turmeric powder. Stir. Cook on High Pressure for 18 minutes and do a natural pressure release.

Step 2 - Prepare Masala & Add Cooked Mung Beans

  • Heat up a pot on medium heat, then add oil. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, ajwain (carom seeds), hing (asafoetida), turmeric powder, and black cardamom. Saute for a minute. Then add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add onions and season with salt. Cook for around 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and golden brown. Next, add tomatoes, season with salt, and stir.
  • Cover and cook the onion tomato masala on low-medium heat for 6-7 minutes until you have a paste-like consistency.
  • Next, add your powdered spices - red chili powder and coriander powder. Also, add a 1/4 cup of water to prevent the spices from burning. Stir and cook for a minute.
  • Add the cooked dal. Note, there won't be much liquid in here since the lentils will soak up the water. Add 1 cup of water. Stir. Adjust salt as needed. Cover and cook on low-medium heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove.

Step 3 - Prepare the Takda (tempering)

  • Add ghee (or oil if you prefer) to a small pan/pot. Heat ghee. Then add hing, sliced garlic, and Kashmiri red chili powder. Cook for about 2 minutes until you can smell the aroma of the garlic. Pour tadka over dal. Stir.
  • To the dal - add amchur powder (mango powder), garam masala, and fresh lemon juice. Stir. Add fresh cilantro. Turn off the stove. Stir. Enjoy with basmati rice.

Notes

This recipe was first published in November 2022, and has since been updated.
  • Soak - Soak the sabut moong dal for at least 5 hours in lots of water.
  • Water - Pressure cook the dal with the least amount of water so the consistency is not water.
  • Ghee - Finish off with a ghee tadka. You can use oil instead of ghee, but the richness ghee adds is different.
  • Vegan option - Replace ghee with oil.
  • Gluten-free option - Replace asafoetida (hing) with gf hing, or skip it.

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 693mg | Potassium: 1150mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 563IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 6mg