Green Moong Dal

This Green Moong Dal recipe is a creamy, protein-packed curry made with green mung beans, onions, tomatoes, aromatics, and warm Indian spices. Try this easy Instant pot recipe and enjoy this tasty Indian dal for a quick dinner.

Serve it with white or brown basmati rice, or fresh roti or paratha, and enjoy a nutritious and delicious vegetarian meal.

Green moong dal, commonly known as green dal, is a popular homestyle lentil curry made in most north-Indian homes. It's 'everyday comfort food', and you won't find it on a restaurant menu.

It goes by so many names. You could call it sabut moong dal (sabut means whole in Hindi), mung beans, or simply green gram dal.

Fun Fact: After cooking, this dal turns brownish in color, but it gets its name, green dal, from the dried beans which are green in color.

This green daal is a north-Indian, Punjabi-style recipe that's on weekly rotation in my home. It's a quick and healthy weeknight dinner that's ready in under an hour in the Instant Pot, most of which is hands-off cooking time.

Even though green dal is nutritious on its own, I pair it with a vegetable side, like bhindi masala, aloo gobi or green beans thoran, and rice or roti to make it a complete and comforting Indian meal.

You may also like: Top Instant Pot Indian Vegetarian Recipes

Jump to:

• What is Green Moong Dal
• Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
• How to Make Green Moong Dal
• Serving Suggestion
• Storage & Reheating
• Recipe Tips & Notes
• Common Questions
• More Indian Dal Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

What is Green Moong Dal

Green moong dal or mung beans are petite green beans from the legumes family. They develop a slightly nutty-sweet taste after cooking. Mung beans are incredibly versatile and are typically eaten as sprouts, or in salads, soups, and stir-frys.

They are pretty common in Indian households and are also made in some south-east Asian countries.

Green Mung Dal Nutrition

Mung beans are high in plant-based protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are naturally gluten-free and vegan.

According to Healthline, one serving (1 cup cooked) contains over 14g protein and 15g fiber, which makes them great for digestive health! They are also a rich source of essential nutrients, including B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron. It also provides 80% of the daily intake of Folate (B9).

Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions

This green dal recipe comes together with a handful of ingredients and commonly used Indian spices. Let's take a look at what we need and where to get it from:

Whole Mung Beans: Look for whole mung beans, labeled as moong whole, green gram whole or sabut moong beans. They are easily available at Indian grocery stores and in the global aisle at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Costco. You can also find it on Amazon.

Olive Oil: Olive oil or avocado oil both work - use whatever cooking oil you have on hand.

Cumin Seeds: We need whole cumin seeds at the beginning of cooking and at the end for tempering.

Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Tomatoes: These four pantry staples form the base of the masala. I like to use ginger-garlic paste if I have some in the freezer. For the tomatoes, I use roma or plum tomatoes since they have fewer seeds. If using a hot house or any other variety of tomato, remove the seeds before chopping.

Spices: We're using a mix of spicy and warming spices, including salt, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, coriander, and cumin powder. Feel free to reduce or skip the chili powder to suit your taste.

Cilantro: A finishing touch of fresh cilantro adds a pop of color and flavor!

Ingredients for Tadka

Ghee: Ghee adds a subtle nuttiness and rich flavor. Feel free to swap it with olive or avocado oil to make it vegan.

Heeng or Hing: Also known as asafetida, heeng is an Indian spice that's super savory with the pungency of onion and sulfur. When mixed with hot oil, it becomes incredibly fragrant and mellows to the taste of leeks. Look for it in specialty Indian markets or online.

Garlic: Slice into thin strips for a gentle garlic flavor.

Cumin Seeds: A final addition of cumin seeds adds another level of smokey flavor.

Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: For spice and color, this gives the tadka a gorgeous red hue.

Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.

How to Make Green Moong Dal

This dal takes a little planning ahead since a few hours of soaking time ensures the beans cook to a creamy texture. That being said, if you are short on time, you can skip right ahead to pressure cooking, just add a few minutes to the cooking time.

Let's take a look at the step-by-step instructions for Green Moong Dal in Instant Pot:

Prepare mung beans: Rinse mung beans under cool running water. Soak in water for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours, then drain. If you are not soaking the mung beans, simply rinse and drain.

Saute aromatics: Turn on Saute function on the Instant Pot. Add oil and cumin seeds and wait for them to pop. Next, add onion, ginger, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes, until the onions start to become translucent (Pics 1 & 2).

Add tomatoes and spices: Add chopped tomato along with salt and spices. Add a few tablespoons of water (to prevent the spices from burning) and stir. Cook for 2 minutes, until tomatoes soften. Mash the tomatoes gently with the back of your spoon (Pics 3 & 4).

Stir in green lentils and water, then pressure cook: Add drained green lentils and water. Give it a good stir. Cancel Saute and set pressure cook or Manual for 18 minutes, high pressure, on sealing mode. Note: For unsoaked beans, increase pressure cook time to 20 minutes (Pics 5 & 6).

Release pressure: Once cook time has finished, wait for the pressure to naturally release. Open the lid when the pin drops.

Finish and serve: Check for seasoning. Using the back of your spoon, mash a few beans against the sides of the pot. This makes the curry creamy. To thicken more, simmer for a few minutes. Alternatively, thin out by adding ¼-½ cup warm water. Garnish with cilantro (Pics 7 & 8).

You can also add a few drops of fresh lime if you like.

Optional Tadka (Tempering)

Just before serving, heat ghee (or oil, if vegan) in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add heeng, garlic, and cumin seeds.

Cook until garlic turns a light golden color (not brown). Add Kashmiri red chili powder and remove from heat. Pour over finished green dal and stir.

Make this curry with Curry Sauce (Bhuna Masala) instead: You can also prepare this curry with pre-made curry sauce (bhuna masala). To do that, skip sauteing the onion, tomato, aromatics, and use ½ cup bhuna masala instead.

How to Cook Green Dal in Stovetop Pressure Cooker

Follow the prep and saute and assemble instructions, and close the lid. Cook soaked moong on high heat for 2 whistles, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Wait for natural pressure release.

For unsoaked moong, cook for 4 whistles then follow the same process.

Serving Suggestion

I love to serve moong dal piping hot with a side of steamed white or brown basmati rice, or fresh roti or paratha for scooping!

Add a veggie side like aloo gobi, kurkuri bhindi, or beetroot thoran to complete this Indian vegetarian meal.

For a low-carb option for hubby and me, I serve it over a large bed of cauliflower rice or Indian cauli rice.

Storage & Reheating

The green dal will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm individual bowls in 1-minute increments in the microwave, stirring each time in between, or in a saucepot over medium heat on the stove, until simmering.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Mung Beans: Look for whole mung beans found at Indian grocery stores or the global section of large grocery stores , or on amazon.
• Split Green Moong Dal: If you can only find split green lentils, reduce the pressure cook time to 5 minutes.
• Soaking: I prefer to soak my mung beans for textural balance. Soaking beans also aids in digestion and reduces stomach upset and bloating.
• Double the Recipe for freezing: Easily double the recipe and keep the pressure cook time the same. Stash a batch in the freezer and enjoy the rest for meal prep throughout the week.
• Use curry sauce: Add ½ cup premade Indian Curry Sauce (Bhuna Masala) instead of onions, ginger, garlic and tomato.
• Make it Vegan: Simply replace the ghee in the tadka with olive or avocado oil.

Common Questions

More Indian Dal Recipes

Check out the complete list of Instant Pot Lentil Recipes.

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