This simple green moong dal is so tasty and spicy and easy to make!
Green moong dal is a homely dal. It’s a very tasty dal – but not something you’d find in a restaurant. There’s no cream, no butter. This is the kind of dal you’d eat at someone’s house. The kind of dal you probably ate on a regular basis if you grew up with Indian parents.
This is comfort food. Dal you scoop up with roti. Or serve with rice.
And of course – this dal is made even simpler thanks to my onion masala. Story of my blog lately.
It’s time for me to preach about onion masala again. You’d think I was starting a cult. It’s just that onion masala is so great because all these dals that used to take me so long to make have all become pour and cook recipes. As in, 5 minutes and dinner prep is done.
There’s another reason that I really like using onion masala though – other than the reduced cook time.
It’s because there aren’t bits of onion or tomato floating around the dal. Not that I personally care about that of course, but it keeps my toddler from sticking his fingers into the bowl and picking things out. He does this with so many dishes now! He’ll pick all the tiny bell peppers out of my corn kadai, put them to the side of his plate, and claim that they’re too spicy to eat. Bell peppers are not spicy. 🤷🏽♀️ My mostly agreeable little boy is growing up to be a picky little man… like his daddy lol. I really should’ve seen it coming.
So yes, the onion masala makes for a mostly smooth dal that still has texture from the lentils. A textured smooth dal. I know, I know – my food descriptions make so much sense.
I know this looks like a brown-ish dal, but the dried lentils are green, which is why its called green moong dal. This is what whole green moong beans look like:
I wrote this blog post all about the different types of legumes commonly used in Indian cooking – if you want to check it out 🙂 This green moong dal has several other names: sabut moong, green gram, whole mung beans.
On soaking legumes:
I like to soak whole legumes overnight because I think it helps with digestion but you do what you think is best. Even soaking them for a couple hours is better than not soaking at all in my opinion. Anyway, after I soak them in water, they get all nice and plump (due to water absorption).
Since soaked legumes have already absorbed water, I find that 3 cups is the right amount of liquid for me to use in this dal. If you decide not to soak, you may need to add more liquid at the very end of the cooking process – not a big deal, just letting you know. I like to adjust liquid and salt at the end anyway.
I hope you love this cozy bowl spicy green moong dal. Let me know what you think!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole green moong dal soaked overnight or for a few hours
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 serrano pepper minced (adjust to taste)
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup onion masala
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Soak the lentils in cold water overnight (or for a few hours). Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button, add the ghee/oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the cumin seeds and serrano pepper to the pot. Once the cumin seeds brown, add the dal and remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Notes
- This recipe is part of my onion masala series – be sure to check it out!
- If you have frozen cubes of onion masala, just toss those in – no need to thaw them first.
- This dal will thicken as it cools. When you warm up leftovers, you may need to add water to thin it out.
Ash Khanna says
Thank you for all the amazing recipes. Does anything change with this recipe if I use yellow moong daal?
Rani says
I followed your recipe for the green moongi dhal in my new instant pot, the ratio given worked for me, just how l like my dhal, thanks
MommaDuck says
This is so yummy good that I ended up making a second, double batch, freezing some for future.
The reason I put some in the freezer is that I have a disease which sometimes causes me to have to stay in bed for a few days, and the people who take care of me, though every one of them is dear and precious, just don’t know how to cook. Literally. No one ever taught them, and they don’t have time for me to teach them. Therefore, when I find a favourite, I make a new batch and some of it goes into the freezer.
This recipe is so fantastic that I want it often. It’s made it into my weekly rotation of “must haves.” No way I’m going more than a week without it. It’s just that good!
Markus says
Thank you! It’s very tasty! I’d rate it 5 out of 5 stars compared to other moong dal recipes!! It’s very simple and fast to prepare too.
Compared to other extremely delicious and very versatile recipes on your site (e.g. Paneer Musallam) I rate it with 4 starts.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Markus, happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked this 🙂
Josh says
Finally got around to make your onion masalas and this was first recipee I made. Absolutely delicious … My sister and brother and law raved about it being better than any restauraunts nears us! I’ll be making the sweet potato Dahl tomorrow for a family gathering .
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Josh, I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked it 🙂 Hope you like the sweet potato dal too!
Lisa says
This is such a great recipe! I had onion masala in the freezer, so it came together in no time!!
Can this be made with split moong dal? Would I just need to adjust the cook time?
Raseel says
Loved this recipe and brought back lots of good memories!! thank you so much for this one!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Raseel, I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Jen says
I’ve made a lot of Ashley’s recipes, particularly those that use the onion masala base. I made this recipe last night and my boyfriend had a second bowl and said it was the best dal he’s ever had! It was delicious and super quick and easy to make. The hardest part is remembering to soak the beans the day before. Thanks Ashley for another great recipe.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Jen, that’s so nice to hear 🙂 I’m glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed this dal so much!
NS says
NEW FAV! This was so good! Super healthy but somehow tastes indulgent and very satisfying! I added carmelizeded onion at the end as a garnish and that took it to another level! I could happily eat this any day.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Woohoo! I’m glad you liked it. 🙂 And yum – love that you added caramelized onion on top, sounds excellent!
Asha says
Gave this recipe a try today first time and am surprised how it tasted so close to daal makhni!!! New user of instant pot and loving the simplicity of the process. I did not have the onion masala ready so I sautéed onion n tomato purée and worked well….thanks a lot…
My Heart Beets says
Asha, I’m so glad you tried and liked this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Viraj Master says
As I did not remember to soak my green moong dal, I used 4 c of water, and 20 min of pressure. Also, 2/3 cup of masala, since that was the size of freezing cups I used. It was delicious.
Great recipe! Thank you so much Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Viraj, I’m so glad you liked this 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you!
Anjana Virdi says
This was so delicious. I come from a background where recipes are so vague (a pinch of this, a spoon of that, add something until the color looks right….) I never got this recipe right until now. Thank you for all of these recipes! You have made my life much easier!
My Heart Beets says
Anjana, I’m so happy to hear that you made and liked this 🙂 Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you! Can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes you try!
Jessica says
This is a new family staple. The texture is fabulous. I added 2 peppers (I like spice) and a little extra onion masala. Love it!
My Heart Beets says
Jessica, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you and your family liked this 🙂
Sumita says
Do you have a recipe for this dal without onion and garlic please?
Maddy says
Can we sub split moong with the skin on for whole moong? If so, would the recipe change in any way?
My Heart Beets says
Yes you can use split moong with the skin on – the texture will be different but the flavor will be the same 🙂
Ashley says
Would it be okay to use another type of lentil? I only have brown and red.
My Heart Beets says
Yes – the flavor will just be different depending on the legume you use, that’s all 🙂
Priya Patel says
If i didnt have the onion masala ready..how can I go about making this dish?
My Heart Beets says
You’d have to sauté onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and spices. My guess would be 1 onion, 2 tomatoes – then adjust the rest to your preference. Do give my onion masala a try though – makes it so much easier!
Manjini says
Omg this was delicious. Tasted similar to dal makhani. It has such a nice warm flavour. I did use a bit more onion masala (2tbsp more) but it was so great that i had it prepped in bulk and could just use it. This dig was so quick to make (because of the onion masala) i love it. I also made the dal palak will leave a review.
My Heart Beets says
Manjini, thank you so much for sharing your review of this dal (and for your other review of the masala)!! I’m so happy to hear that – can’t wait to hear what you think of the other dishes you make with it 🙂