Moong Dal Pakoda (Moong Dal Bhajia, Moong Dal Vada, Moongode) are Indian lentil fritters made using yellow moong dal and a few other simple ingredients. Serve them with green chutney for tea time snack (vegan, gluten-free).
Here are some more pakoda recipes that you may like – Corn Pakoda, Palak Pakoda, Aloo Pakora, Chawal Ke Pakode, and Punjabi Bread Pakoda.
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About This Recipe
Moong Dal Pakoda (Moong Dal Bhajia, Moong Dal Vada, Moongode) are spicy Indian fritters that are very popular in Indian households, especially during monsoon season. These are also very popular street food in North India.
You will find many street vendors in North India, frying moong dal bhajia and plating them piping hot, along with fried green chilies, especially during the monsoon and winter months.
These pakodas are made using ground yellow moong dal along with a few more simple ingredients added to it to spice them up.
This moong dal pakoda recipe is vegan and gluten-free and can be easily doubled or tripled.
Ingredients
Yellow Moong Dal – Yellow Moong Dal (Dhuli Moong Dal, Split & Skinned Green Gram) is the hero ingredient of this recipe.
Onions – Add some onions to add that much-needed bite to the soft moong dal pakode.
Spring Green Onions – My mom always adds chopped spring greens to moongode and they just perk up the flavor so much. Do try!
Oil – You can use any vegetable oil to fry these yummy pakoras.
Others – You will also need fresh ginger, salt, chaat masala, cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), and green chilies.
Adjust the green chillies as per your taste.
You can also add some cumin seeds, crushed whole coriander seeds, black pepper powder, chopped curry leaves, asafetida (hing), etc to the batter.
How To Make Moong Dal Pakoda
Wash 1 cup of moong dal with water 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Soak it in 3-4 cups of water for 3-4 hours.
Drain the water very well and transfer the soaked moong dal to a blender or a food processor along with a tablespoon of water.
Blend to make a slightly coarse paste. Add a few more tablespoon of water if required to make the paste.
Note – The paste must be thick otherwise the pakora will not turn out crispy.
Transfer the paste to a large bowl and whisk with your fingers for 5 minutes to make it fluffy.
Now add 2 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon chaat masala, 2 cups of chopped spring onions, 1 cup chopped onions, 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro, and 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies to the bowl and mix well.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Heat 4-5 cups of oil for frying the pakora in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Drop small rounds of the moong dal batter in the hot oil using your fingers or a small spoon. Do not overload that pan. Fry the pakoda in batches.
Fry the moongode until they are nicely browned, stirring frequently while frying.
Drain on a plate lined with kitchen tissue.
Serve immediately with coriander chutney and chai.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the only time-consuming part of this is soaking the dal. Once you grind it, just add the paste with other ingredients and make the pakoras without any fermentation.
You can add vegetables such as finely chopped green bell peppers, grated carrots, corn, etc to the batter to make vegetable moong dal pakora.
Serving Suggestions
These are a perfect tea-time snack, especially on rainy days.
Moong dal bhajia are best served with a chutney. Here are some options – Green Chutney, Lahsun Ki Chutney, Sweet Tamarind Chutney, or Dahi Chutney.
You can also serve fried chilies sprinkled with salt along with the pakora.
And do not forget to serve a hot cup of Masala Chai or Adrak Wali Chai along.
You can use leftover pakoda to make curry or kadhi. Just make any onion tomato based curry and add these pakoras to it. Similarly, make plain kadhi and add moong dal pakora to it.
Storage Suggestions
These bhajia tastes the best when served piping hot and crispy, right out of the oil. However, you can store the batter for a day in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you still have leftover pakora, then warm them up in an oven or air fryer until crispy before serving.
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Recipe Card
Moong Dal Pakoda Recipe (Moong Dal Bhajia, Moong Dal Vada, Moongode)
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow moong dal (split and skinned green gram)
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 2 cups chopped spring onion greens
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
- 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Wash moong dal with water 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Soak it in 3-4 cups of water for 3-4 hours.
- Drain the water very well and transfer the soaked moong dal to a blender or a food processor along with a tablespoon of water.
- Blend to make a slightly coarse paste. Add a few more tablespoons of water if required to make the paste.
- Note – The paste must be thick otherwise the pakora will not turn out crispy.
- Transfer the paste to a large bowl and whisk with your fingers for 5 minutes to make it fluffy.
- Now add ginger, salt, chaat masala, spring onions, onions, cilantro, and green chilies to the bowl and mix well.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Heat 4-5 cups of oil for frying the pakora in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Drop small rounds of the moong dal batter in the hot oil using your fingers or a small spoon. Do not overload tha pan. Fry the pakoda in batches.
- Fry the moongode until they are nicely browned, stirring frequently while frying.
- Drain on a plate lined with kitchen tissue.
- Serve immediately with coriander chutney and chai.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!