Moong Dal Recipe Fry Tadka Versions

What is Moong Dal

Lentils, and mung beans in particular, are a staple in Indian cuisine. They are commonly pressure cooked to become wonderfully tender, and served as saucy main dishes with roti, paratha or steamed rice. Moong dal here refers to skinned and split mung beans also known as petite yellow lentils. They originally are greenish in color, but have a yellow color once the husks are removed. Photo of hulled and split mung lentils below. On the other hand, a dal recipe is also referred to as Dal and so this preparation made with mung lentils is also called Moong Dal. Compared to other lentils, Moong lentils are among the easiest to digest. Therefore they are often recommended for low glycemic diets, and are a part of the detox diet in Ayurveda. Dishes with mung beans are thought to balance the Kapha, Pita and Vata doshas in the body, and thus are tridoshic in nature as per Ayurveda. If you are like moong lentils, than you can also check out this tasty recipe made with green gram or whole moong lentils – Green Moong Dal

About Moong Dal Tadka

‘Tadka’ here refers to the cooking method used to make this recipe: It is called tempering in English, and no, it’s not in any way related to tempering chocolate. In this method, the spices and herbs are first fried in oil or ghee (clarified butter). Basically it is blooming of spices in fat. Frying them releases their essential aroma and flavors into the oil. After being fried, this entire infusion of the spices, herbs and the oil is added to the completed cooked moong dal. Sometimes moong dal recipes can lack flavor. However, as I’m sure you can imagine this dish is absolutely bursting with bold, savory spices. It includes tempered cumin, garlic, garam masala and red chili powder. Together they create a rich, earthy, wonderfully tasty dish. Once you make this delicious moong dal recipe, you are going to have a whole new opinion of the humble dal! The consistency of Moong Dal Tadka is somewhere between a curry and soup, slightly thin and pourable but still with a good bit of body. It’s perfect to serve with some steamed basmati rice and a side vegetable dish and/or raita. And I always recommend that you have some roasted papad and lemon or mango pickle on the side, too, for a complete meal. I love to pair moong dal tadka with some steamed basmati rice and Aloo Methi.

How to make Moong Dal Tadka

Recipe 1

Prep

1. First, rinse ½ a cup of moong dal (split husked mung lentils) in water a couple of times. Drain all the water and set aside.
2. You will need to cook the moong lentils. In a 3 litre stove-top pressure cooker or in the inner pot of a 6 quart Instant Pot add the following ingredients together with the rinsed moong lentils:

1 medium sized finely chopped onion or ⅓ cup finely chopped onions 1 medium sized chopped tomato or ½ cup chopped tomatoes 1 inch of peeled and finely chopped ginger ⅓ teaspoon turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon of red chili powder or cayenne pepper

3. Add 1.5 cups of water, and stir well.

Pressure Cook Lentils

4. Pressure cook the lentils, aromatics, spices and herbs for 5 to 6 whistles on medium heat, until the lentils are cooked perfectly and softened. Let the pressure fall naturally in the stove-top cooker and then only open the lid. Remove the lid and stir the dal. For the Instant Pot, this will take approximately 8 to 10 minutes on manual pressure. Once you hear the beep sound when the cooking is complete, do a quick pressure release after 10 minutes.
5. The dal should be loose with a medium flowing consistency. If the moong dal looks thick, then add some water. Start with half a cup and stir, and add more water as needed.
6. Simmer (or use the sauté function on the IP) the moong dal for 1 to 2 minutes or more until you get just the right consistency. It should have a consistency some where like that of a curry.
7. Add salt to taste and mix well. Set the dal aside.

Make Tadka

8. Gather and measure all of your ingredients needed to temper the cooked moong dal. In a small pan on low-medium heat, melt 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil, ghee or butter.
9. Fry 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds in the hot oil. They should change color and crackle, but not burn. Turn the heat down to low if needed.
10. Next add 4 to 5 lightly crushed garlic cloves and 1 to 2 slit green chilies to the pot. Fry for a few seconds, but don’t brown the garlic. Turn off the stovetop heat immediately.
11. Once the heat is off, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon of red chili powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Switching off the heat ensures that the spice powders don’t get burned.
12. Quickly mix the spice powders well with a spoon. This is your tempering mixture to add flavor to the moong dal.
13. After stirring, immediately pour the tempering mixture into the pot with the cooked lentils. Stir the moong dal tadka well to combine.
14. Serve Moong Dal Tadka hot with steamed rice or Roti. The moong dal tastes delicious as-is with no need to garnish. But feel free to sprinkle with some chopped coriander leaves to add a pop of fresh flavor. For a slight tang of bright acidity, you can also squeeze some lemon juice onto the dish before serving.

About Mung Dal Fry

This is a quick and easy Punjabi recipe of delicious moong dal fry at home which I often make. I make a variety of lentils on a daily basis and mung dal happens to be one of them. In this Moong dal fry recipe, the mung lentils are cooked first. Then a sautéed mixture of onions, tomatoes and spices is added to the cooked mung lentils which is then simmered for some more minutes. The end result is a smooth, creamy and flavorful moong dal. Legumes or dal are a staple in the Indian Cuisine and there are so many ways of making them. In the Indian Cuisine, you will find many variations of dal – from the simplest basic version made with minimal ingredients to spicy or rich versions made with many ingredients. Each Indian state has their own versions of a dal tadka or dal fry. In the state itself, the versions keep on changing in some cities or towns. You can serve the yellow moong dal fry with Indian flat breads like roti, paratha or with cumin rice or steamed basmati rice.

How to make Mung Dal Fry

Recipe 2

Cook Mung Dal

1. Firstly pick and rinse ½ cup moong dal (split and hulled mung lentils) for a few times with water. You can also rinse the yellow moong dal in a colander.
2. Then add the yellow mung lentils to a 3 litre stove-top pressure cooker together with 2.5 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric powder. Stir and mix very well.
3. Pressure cook the yellow moong dal for 5 to 6 whistles or till they are soft and mushy.
4. Mash the lentils with a spoon.
5. Add 1 cup water or as required, to get the desired consistency.
6. Add salt as required and mix again.
7. On a low heat, keep the cooked yellow moong dal to simmer. Remember to stir often so that the lentils does not get browned or burnt or stick to the bottom of the cooker.

Make Moong Dal Fry

8. Meanwhile, measure and keep all the ingredients ready. In a kadai or pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil together with ½ tablespoon butter.
9. Crackle 1 teaspoon cumin seeds first.
10. Then add 1 medium sized chopped onion (about ⅓ cup chopped onions). Sauté the onions till light brown. Stir often when sautéing onions.
11. Then add 1 inch chopped ginger, 3 to 4 chopped small to medium garlic cloves, 1 green chili and 1 dry red chili (seeds removed). Sauté for half a minute.
12. Add 1 medium sized tomato which has been chopped (about ½ cup chopped tomatoes). Sauté stirring often until the tomatoes soften.
13. Then add the following spices and stir to combine:

¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)

14. Next add ½ teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves.
15. Stir and continue to sauté till oil starts to leave the sides of the masala. And later continue to sauté further for 1 to 2 minutes more after oil has started to leave the sides.
16. Add this mixture to the simmering dal.
17. Stir and simmer the dal for 2 to 3 minutes or more. You have to simmer till the flavors have blended well in the moong dal and you get the desired consistency.
18. If you prefer you can add a few drops of lemon juice.
19. Mix well. Taste the dal and add salt if required. Turn off the heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.
20. Serve Moong Dal Fry with steamed rice, cumin rice or with Indian flatbreads like roti, paratha or naan.

Difference between Tadka and Fry Methods

Though both the tadka and fry versions may look the same, preparation methods and the final taste of each dish is quite unique and different.

Expert Tips

While cooking any lentil dish, I suggest to use unpolished lentils for optimum flavor and nutrition. If you prefer you can soak the moong lentils for 20 to 30 minutes. Soaking them will reduce the cooking time. Either of the recipe can be turned into a one pot cooking method and can be made in a stove-top pressure cooker or Instant pot. Simply sauté the spices, aromatics first, add the lentils and water as needed. Pressure cook until done. Feel free to reduce or increase the pungent spices and herbs like red chilli powder, ginger, garlic and green chilies according to your taste buds. Make sure to cook the lentils until they are softened and mushy. You can also adjust the consistency by adding less or more water. For a gluten-free moong dal recipe, omit adding the asafoetida.

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. Dal Makhani Recipe Dal Tadka Recipe (Restaurant Style & Home Style) Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas) Masoor Dal Recipe | Indian Red Lentils Recipe This Moong Dal recipe from the archives was first published in May 2013. It has been updated and republished on June 2023.