Green Moong Dal Recipe
This North Indian style Green Moong Dal (Chilka Mung Dal) is a simple, everyday lentil recipe where green moong dal is cooked and tempered with a spicy tadka. Make it in an Instant Pot or a traditional stovetop pressure cooker using my easy recipe (vegetarian, can be easily made gluten-free).
Here are a few more dal recipes that you may like: Dal Tadka, Dal Maharani, Malwa Dal, Shahi Dal, Dal Makhani, and Lauki Chana Dal.
What is Green Moong Dal
Green Moong Dal, also known as green gram or mung bean, is a legume commonly used in Indian cuisine. It is small, round, and green in color and is typically sold split and hulled.
It is often used to make dals, soups, curries, and salads.
This lentil is readily available in all Indian grocery stores and major local grocery stores, such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Costco. You can also order it online from Amazon.
Moong dal can last several months if stored properly, but it’s best to use it within a reasonable timeframe to ensure freshness and quality.
To store the moong dal for a longer time, transfer it to an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. This will prevent moisture and air from getting in, which can cause the dal to spoil.
Store the container of moong dal in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. A pantry or a kitchen cabinet works well.
You can place a moisture absorber, such as silica gel packets or a handful of uncooked rice, at the bottom of the container to keep the moong dal dry.
Before storing, check the dal for any signs of pests or insects. If you find any, discard the dal and clean the container thoroughly before storing it.
About North Indian Style Green Moong Dal
Dal (lentil) is an integral part of Indian cuisine. Every Indian home makes a lentil dish for everyday meals.
There are multiple ways to make dal, and in today’s post, I am sharing my North Indian home-style Green Moong Dal Recipe (Chilka Mung Dal).
This green mung dal is super easy to make and comes together in under an hour with minimal effort.
Serve it with sabzi, phulka, rice, and raita on the side for a simple everyday Indian-style meal.
The dal can be cooked in a traditional pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. I am sharing both methods in the post below.
This recipe is vegetarian and can be easily made gluten-free.
I made it in my 3-quart instant pot (or 3-liter stovetop pressure cooker). You can use a bigger Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) to scale the recipe. The cooking time will remain the same.
Ingredients
For The Dal
You will need green moong dal (split moong beans), water, turmeric powder, salt, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
Lime juice can be replaced with lemon juice.
You can add aromatic Indian spices like coriander powder, garam masala powder, and Kitchen King masala while cooking the dal.
To make variations, try adding sambar powder, goda masala, pav bhaji masala, etc, to this green gram curry recipe.
For Tempering
You will need ghee, garlic, asafetida (hing), cumin seeds, and Kashmiri red chili powder to temper the dal.
To make the dal vegan, replace ghee with coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, or another cooking oil of your choice.
Skip adding asafetida to make gluten-free dal.
You can skip adding garlic to make a no-onion, no-garlic version.
How To Make Hari Moong Dal
Soak The Dal
Wash 1 cup of green moong lentils with water 2-3 times.
Soak the dal in 3-4 cups of water for 30 minutes. Soaking the dal makes it easier and faster to cook and digest.
Cook The Dal
In A Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Drain the water and add the soaked dal to a pressure cooker.
Add 4 cups of water, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, and 2 teaspoon salt, and stir it.
Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle on high heat.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid and whisk the dal using a wire whisk.
Check for salt and add more if needed. Add some boiling hot water if the dal is too thick for your liking.
Add 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well.
In An Instant Pot
Drain the water and add the soaked dal to an Instant Pot.
Add 3 ½ cups of water, ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and mix well.
Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes at high pressure.
The Instant Pot will take some time (approximately 10 minutes) for the pressure to build and the timer to start.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
Whisk the dal using a wire whisk.
Check for salt and add more if needed. Add some boiling hot water if the dal is too thick for your liking.
Add 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well.
Temper The Dal
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat.
Once the ghee is hot, add 2 teaspoon chopped garlic and fry until it turns light brown, stirring frequently.
Add ¼ teaspoon asafetida and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Switch off the heat and add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, and mix using a spoon.
Pour the tempering immediately over the dal and mix well.
Tip – You can save some tempering to garnish the dal.
Serve hot.
Tempering Variations
Hing Jeera Red Chilli Tadka – You can temper the dal with just cumin seeds, dry red chilies, and asafetida (hing) in ghee.
Sweet and Sour Tempering – Temper the dal with ghee, asafetida, dry red chilies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds (methi dana), cumin seeds, peanuts, tomatoes, curry leaves, and red chili powder. Add a little tamarind pulp and jaggery to the dal and mix well.
Onion Green Chilli Tadka – Sometimes, I give my garlic tadka a break and add some finely chopped green chilies and thinly sliced onions to the tadka.
You can also add finely chopped garlic and ginger to this tadka.
Onion Tomato Tadka is one of my favorite tadka to add to the dal.
Temper the dal with ghee, dry red chili, hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onions, red chili powder, and chopped tomatoes.
Masala Tadka – Add Indian spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, and red chilli powder along with the onion tomato tadka to make a masala version.
Panch Phoran Tadka – Add a teaspoon of panch phoran to the tempering. Try my recipe to make homemade Panch Phoran.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, whole moong (sabut moong) and moong dal (split lentils) are different. They are two different forms of the same legume, the green moong or mung bean.
Whole moong beans, sabut moong, or whole green gram refer to entire, unbroken mung beans with intact green skin.
On the other hand, moong dal is made by splitting the mung beans. When the skin is intact, it’s called green moong dal; when the skin is removed, it is called yellow moong dal.
Yes, you can. Increase the cooking time by 8 minutes, as the whole beans will take longer to cook than the split ones. It is also a good idea to soak the whole beans for 3-4 hours for easy cooking.
Although it is recommended to soak the lentils before cooking, you can cook them without soaking too. Just increase the cooking time by 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Green moong dal curry is best served piping hot. Add a dollop of ghee on top and garnish it with some chopped coriander leaves.
Serve it with a dry sabzi like Besan Bhari Mirch, Aloo Bhindi, Kalonji Baingan, Cabbage Peas Shaak, and phulka or white rice.
Jeera Rice, Ghee Rice, or any other mild pulao also goes well with it.
I also like to serve a bowl of yogurt, raita, and papad on the side for a wholesome meal.
I like to sprinkle some Crispy Fried Onions (Birista) on top just before serving to make this simple dal curry special.
Storage Suggestions
This dal will easily last 3-4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an air-tight container.
Reheat it in a pan or microwave until nicely heated. Add some hot water to adjust the consistency if it has become thick after refrigeration.
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Green Moong Dal Recipe (Chilka Mung Dal)
Ingredients
To Cook The Dal
- 1 cup green moong dal (chilka moong dal, split green mung beans)
- 4 cups water
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
For Tempering
- 2 tablespoons ghee (use coconut oil for vegan)
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
Instructions
Soak The Dal
- Wash the dal with water 2-3 times.
- Soak the dal in 3-4 cups of water for 30 minutes.
Cook The Dal
In A Traditional Pressure Cooker
- Drain the water and add the soaked dal to a pressure cooker.
- Add 4 cups of water, turmeric powder, and salt, and mix well.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle on high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and whisk the dal using a wire whisk.
- Check for salt and add more if needed. Add some boiling hot water if the dal is thick for your liking.
- Add lime juice and mix well.
In An Instant Pot
- Drain the water and add the soaked dal to an instant pot.
- Add 3 and ½ cups of water, turmeric powder, and salt, and mix well.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes at high pressure.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
- Whisk the dal using a wire whisk.
- Check for salt and add more if needed. Add some boiling hot water if the dal is thick for your liking.
- Add lime juice and mix well.
Temper The Dal
- Heat ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add garlic and fry until it turns light brown, stirring frequently.
- Add asafetida and cumin seeds and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Switch off the heat and add red chili powder, and mix using a spoon.
- Pour the tempering immediately over the dal and mix well.
- Tip – You can save some tempering to garnish the dal.
- Serve hot.