Green Moong Dal Recipe (Chilka Mung Dal)
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.
Servings: 6 people
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.
Video
Notes
I made this recipe in my 3-quart instant pot (or 3-liter stovetop pressure cooker). You can scale the recipe with a bigger Instant Pot (or pressure cooker). The cooking time will remain the same.
Tadka 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 799mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg
