What is Green Moong Dal?
Wondering what is the Green Moong Dal? You’ve probably relished the yellow lentil dal (Dal Tadka) or the black lentil dal (Dal Makhani) at the restaurants, but never come across this before? The Green Moong Dal is one of the many Dal variations in the Indian cuisine, however it’s not something that you can typically find at an Indian restaurant. It’s something we enjoy when we want to enjoy a simple dal preparation which is different from the restaurant style yellow dal. Made with whole green mung beans, tomatoes and flavored with spices, this dal will soon become your goto bowl of comfort food.
Why you will love this Moong Dal Recipe
It’s a warm comforting bowl of dal packed with the goodness of whole green mung beans. It’s quick and easy to prepare. Perfect for a weeknight meal, when paired with rice or flatbread like roti or naan. Or just simply enjoy it as a bowl of soul soothing soup. It’s packed with flavors and textures. Made with easily available ingredients. A great way to get your dose of some plant based based protein. It’s freezer friendly. Gluten-Free. Can be made Vegan.
Ingredients for Green Moong Dal Instant Pot Recipe
Although the list might seem long but most ingredients are pantry staples in an Indian household. Sharing our trick below incase you don’t have all the spices handy.
Whole Green Mung Beans - We like to soak the green mung beans when I have time, but if time is crunched then I skip the soaking and adjust the cooking time. Tomatoes - Use fresh tomatoes if you can. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes handy, then you can use a table spoon of tomato sauce instead. Ginger - Try not to skip this ingredient as it helps avoid bloating. Spices - Try to use whatever you have handy from this list - peppercorns, cloves, whole red chillie, green chillie, cumin seeds, paprika, coriander powder & turmeric. Incase you don;t have a few ingredients you could always throw in garam masala to get the flavors. Mind you adding whole spices will definitely enhance the flavors. Ghee or Oil - We like to use ghee when cooking dal, simply because it adds a rich flavor and aroma. However you are free to butter or oil if you like. Water Salt to taste Lemon juice Cilantro to garnish
How to Make Green Moong Dal Instant Pot Recipe
Here is a just a gist of the recipe, you can find the full recipe with ingredient measurements in the recipe card below. Step 1 : Prepare ingredients
Rinse and soak the green mung beans for atleast 20 minutes if you have the time. If you don’t have time to soak you could always use unsoaked beans. I have shared the adjusted time in Step 3 below. Chop the tomatoes, grate the ginger, get the spices and other ingredients ready.
Step 2 : Saute
Using the saute function, heat ghee or oil in the inner pot. I prefer to use ghee when making dal for it’s rich taste and aroma, however you are free to use oil as well. Once the oil is hot, temper it with dry spices like cumin seeds, cloves, black peppercorns, whole red chilly, turmeric & coriander power. Throw in the tomatoes, ginger and green chili and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the green mung beans, salt and water. Thoroughly scrape off the bottom or any food particles stuck.
Step 3 : Pressure Cook
Cover the lid, seal the vent and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release. It will take about 10 minutes for the pressure to build. If using unsoaked green mung beans then pressure cook for 20 minutes, allowing the pressure to naturally release. Carefully open the lid and don’t worry if the dal looks dry at first glance. When you stir the pot, it will get creamy as the water settled at the bottom.
Step 4 : Garnish and Serve
Add the fresh lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Could could also sprinkle some garam masala but this is optional. Serve with rice, flatbreads or toasted breads.
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How to make Green Moong Dal on Stove Top Pressure Cooker
Follow the same steps as listed for an electric pressure cooker.
For unsoaked mung beans, pressure cook for upto 4 whistles For soaked mung beans, pressure cook for upto 2 whistles.
Does moong dal need soaking?
It’s always a good idea to soak the beans as soaked beans are easier to digest. However sometimes you might not have the time to soak them. We have listed pressure cooking times using both soaked and unsoaked mung beans.
How to make this Instant Pot Green Mung Dal Vegan
Feel free to use oil instead of ghee.
How to serve Moong Dal
We love to pair it with our No-Burn Instant Pot Basmati Rice, however it goes really well with Indian flatbreads like Roti or Naan. Pair it with a salad on the side If you are serving is as soup pair it with from garlic toast or toasted breads. If you want to make a power bowl using this dal, some quinoa, rice or falafel with some cucumbers, onions or tomatoes and mint leaves and this dal goes really well.
Is this Moong Dal Recipe freezer friendly?
Yes, you can transfer it in a freezer safe containers and it will stay good got upto 3 months in the freezer.
Other recipes you will love
If you love this recipe, then you should check out some of our other favorites. Here are some of our favorite recipes you should try this week:
Sprouted Mung Beans Stir Fry Dal Makhani Chana Dal Dal tadka Green Moong Dal Dal Palak
If you try this recipe, don’t forget to come back and leave us comment and rate this recipe. Or tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind. For more easy recipes to make in the Instant Pot stop by our Instant Pot easy recipes for Beginners.
Rinse and soak the green mung beans for atleats 20 minutes if you have the time. If you don’t have time to soak you could always use unsoaked beans. I have shared the adjusted time in Step 3 below. Chop the tomatoes, grate the ginger, get the spices and other ingredients ready. Step 2 : Saute Using the saute function, heat ghee or oil in the inner pot. I prefer to use ghee when making dal for it’s rich taste and aroma, however you are free to use oil as well. Once the oil is hot, temper it with dry spices like cumin seeds, cloves, black peppercorns, whole red chilly, turmeric & coriander power. Throw in the tomatoes, ginger and green chilie and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the green mung beans, salt and water. Scrape the bottom thoroughly for any food particles that might be stuck. Step 3 : Pressure Cook Cover the lid, seal the vent and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release. It will take about 10 minutes for the pressure to build. If using unsoaked green mung beans then pressure cook for 20 minutes, allowing the pressure to naturally release. Carefully open the lid and don’t worry if the dal looks dry at first glance. When you stir the pot, it will get creamy as the water settled at the bottom. Step 4 : Garnish and Serve Add the fresh lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Could could also sprinkle some garam masala but this is optional. Serve with rice, flatbreads or toasted breads.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Green Moong Dal Recipe
Follow the same steps as listed for an electric pressure cooker. Unsoaked mung beans, pressure cook for upto 4 whistles Soaked mung beans, pressure cook for upto 2 whistles. Instant Pot Pressure Cooking Times Soaked Beans : 15 minutes Unsoaked Beans : 20 minutes Stove Top Pressure Cooking Times Soaked Beans : 2 whistles Unsoaked Beans : 4 whistles
Spices - If you don;t have spices handy, you could always add garam masala to enhance the flavor of the dal.
Mealthy MultiPot 9-in-1 Programmable Slow and Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt 10-in-1 Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer Simply Organic Ground Turmeric Root | Certified Organic | 2.38 oz. (3 Pack) Organic Coriander Powder / Dhaniya Powder -Indian Spices, Pack of 2 (200 Gram Each) Cumin Seed Whole Badia Smoked Paprika 16 oz (1) Simply Organic Whole Cloves, 2.05 Ounce McCormick Black Peppercorn Grinder, 2.5 oz Morton Salt Regular Salt - 26 oz Sunflower Oil Certified Organic Mung Beans by Food to Live (Sprouting, Non-GMO, Kosher, Bulk) — 8 Ounces
