Green Moong Dal Green Gram Curry Sabut Moong Dal

About Green Moong Dal

I make green moong dal quite often, and I’m so happy to share this classic comfort food dish with you. Similar to my favorite Dal Makhani made with whole black gram, this vegan recipe features healthy lentils cooked with a variety of vibrant seasonings and aromatics. However, green moong dal is also known as sabut moong dal – sabut means “whole” in Hindi – and since whole green gram are used in the recipe, hence the name. These whole lentils with the husks gives a lovely consistency and texture to the preparation. Although Dal Makhani and this green moong dal are made with different lentils, they are cooked using a similar tried-and-true method. The lentils are first soaked and then pressure cooked for a quick and nearly foolproof prep. Next, a fragrant tempered oil is added to the moong dal to infuse the dish with deep flavor. Sabut moong dal has an earthy, satisfying taste and a slightly saucy consistency. It’s not quite as soup-like as a thin curry, but is still great to serve over rice or scoop with roti.

How to make Green Moong Dal

Preparation

1. Firstly, rinse ½ cup of green moong beans under running water for a few times or so. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with water, and soak for an hour. You can also soak them for a couple of hours or even overnight. If they soak overnight then the cooking time will reduce by several minutes. 2. Now chop 1 medium onion, 1 large tomato and 1 to 2 green chilies (optional).

Cook Moong Lentils

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add 1 medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and ½ tsp of cumin seeds. On a low heat fry until the cumin seeds splutter. Omit adding tej patta if you do not have it. You could also follow these steps of sautéing the spices, onions, tomatoes and cooking the mung beans in the Instant Pot adding water as needed.
4. Then add the ⅓ cup chopped onions.
5. Sauté the onions on medium-low to medium heat until they start to turn light golden.
6. Add 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste and ½ to 1 teaspoon of the chopped green chillies. Stir and sauté on low heat for a few seconds until the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
7. Now add the following ingredients:

½ cup finely chopped tomatoes¼ teaspoon turmeric powder¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper½ teaspoon coriander powder¼ teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder

8. Stir and sauté until the tomatoes soften and you see oil releasing from the sides. The tomatoes would become a mush and look pulpy.
9. Drain all the water from the bowl in which the beans were soaking and add the soaked moong beans to the cooker.
10. Stir to mix well.
11. Add 2.5 to 3 cups of water and salt to taste.
12. Cover and pressure cook the lentils for 10 to 12 whistles (15 to 17 minutes) on a medium to high heat. Once the pressure drops on its own naturally in the cooker, then open the lid and check the moong beans. If they still have slight bite to them, then add some water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 more whistles, or about 5 minutes. If the mixture looks a bit dry and the lentils aren’t quite done, add a bit more water before pressure cooking again.
13. Keep the cooker on the stovetop and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Switch off the heat when you get the desired consistency. Cover the cooker with any flat steel lid or a steel plate. The consistency of the dal shouldn’t be watery. To make the Sabut Moong Dal thicker you can use the back of a spoon to mash some of the lentils, and stir again. If in case the lentils appear dry, add some water as needed and mix thoroughly.

Temper Green Gram Curry

This step is optional but helps to infuse the dal with even more deep, delicious flavor.

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan or tadka pan. Keep heat to a low. Add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds and fry until they begin to crackle.
2. Turn off the heat and add a pinch of asafoetida and ¼ teaspoon of red chilli powder or cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Carefully add the tempering oil to the cooked green moong dal. Stir and mix well.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Stir again.
5. Garnish with more chopped coriander, and serve Green Moong Dal hot or warm with your favorite sides. Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Moong Dal Recipe (Fry & Tadka Versions) Pesarattu Recipe | Andhra Style Moong Dal Dosa Moong Dal Halwa Moong Dal Chilla (Indian Mung Bean Pancake) This Green Gram Dal recipe post from the archives, first published on July 2015 has been republished and updated on November 2022.

title: “Green Moong Dal Green Gram Curry Sabut Moong Dal” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-10” author: “John Hagan”

About Green Moong Dal

I make green moong dal quite often, and I’m so happy to share this classic comfort food dish with you. Similar to my favorite Dal Makhani made with whole black gram, this vegan recipe features healthy lentils cooked with a variety of vibrant seasonings and aromatics. However, green moong dal is also known as sabut moong dal – sabut means “whole” in Hindi – and since whole green gram are used in the recipe, hence the name. These whole lentils with the husks gives a lovely consistency and texture to the preparation. Although Dal Makhani and this green moong dal are made with different lentils, they are cooked using a similar tried-and-true method. The lentils are first soaked and then pressure cooked for a quick and nearly foolproof prep. Next, a fragrant tempered oil is added to the moong dal to infuse the dish with deep flavor. Sabut moong dal has an earthy, satisfying taste and a slightly saucy consistency. It’s not quite as soup-like as a thin curry, but is still great to serve over rice or scoop with roti.

How to make Green Moong Dal

Preparation

1. Firstly, rinse ½ cup of green moong beans under running water for a few times or so. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with water, and soak for an hour. You can also soak them for a couple of hours or even overnight. If they soak overnight then the cooking time will reduce by several minutes. 2. Now chop 1 medium onion, 1 large tomato and 1 to 2 green chilies (optional).

Cook Moong Lentils

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add 1 medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and ½ tsp of cumin seeds. On a low heat fry until the cumin seeds splutter. Omit adding tej patta if you do not have it. You could also follow these steps of sautéing the spices, onions, tomatoes and cooking the mung beans in the Instant Pot adding water as needed.
4. Then add the ⅓ cup chopped onions.
5. Sauté the onions on medium-low to medium heat until they start to turn light golden.
6. Add 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste and ½ to 1 teaspoon of the chopped green chillies. Stir and sauté on low heat for a few seconds until the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
7. Now add the following ingredients:

½ cup finely chopped tomatoes¼ teaspoon turmeric powder¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper½ teaspoon coriander powder¼ teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder

8. Stir and sauté until the tomatoes soften and you see oil releasing from the sides. The tomatoes would become a mush and look pulpy.
9. Drain all the water from the bowl in which the beans were soaking and add the soaked moong beans to the cooker.
10. Stir to mix well.
11. Add 2.5 to 3 cups of water and salt to taste.
12. Cover and pressure cook the lentils for 10 to 12 whistles (15 to 17 minutes) on a medium to high heat. Once the pressure drops on its own naturally in the cooker, then open the lid and check the moong beans. If they still have slight bite to them, then add some water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 more whistles, or about 5 minutes. If the mixture looks a bit dry and the lentils aren’t quite done, add a bit more water before pressure cooking again.
13. Keep the cooker on the stovetop and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Switch off the heat when you get the desired consistency. Cover the cooker with any flat steel lid or a steel plate. The consistency of the dal shouldn’t be watery. To make the Sabut Moong Dal thicker you can use the back of a spoon to mash some of the lentils, and stir again. If in case the lentils appear dry, add some water as needed and mix thoroughly.

Temper Green Gram Curry

This step is optional but helps to infuse the dal with even more deep, delicious flavor.

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan or tadka pan. Keep heat to a low. Add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds and fry until they begin to crackle.
2. Turn off the heat and add a pinch of asafoetida and ¼ teaspoon of red chilli powder or cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Carefully add the tempering oil to the cooked green moong dal. Stir and mix well.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Stir again.
5. Garnish with more chopped coriander, and serve Green Moong Dal hot or warm with your favorite sides. Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Moong Dal Recipe (Fry & Tadka Versions) Pesarattu Recipe | Andhra Style Moong Dal Dosa Moong Dal Halwa Moong Dal Chilla (Indian Mung Bean Pancake) This Green Gram Dal recipe post from the archives, first published on July 2015 has been republished and updated on November 2022.