Wholesome Green Moong Dal made in an Instant Pot or a Stovetop Pressure Cooker. This is a delicious creamy lentil soup, that is so easy and quick to make in a pressure cooker. Very nutritious with lots of protein and perfect for a cold evening.
This is a North Indian style recipe for green moong dal, also known as sabut moong dal. Growing up this used to be made almost every week for dinner. We always had a veggie curry and a lentil or legume, along with roti (Indian flatbread) for dinner. Some days we would have rice, but not every day. This is a very typical north indian dinner.
If you don't have green moong dal in your pantry, check out other popular North Indian lentil soups - Chana Dal, Moong Dal Fry.
Don't forget to check out my post for 29 Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes.
How to make Green Moong Lentils in Pressure Cooker?
I do not soak these lentils. You can if you have planned well, and reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes. I usually don't plan much for lentils, as I know that I can easily and quickly cook them in the pressure cooker.
Follow the same process as in the video when cooking on a stovetop pressure cooker. Cook on high flame for 2 whistles and then change to medium-low flame and let it cook for another 8 minutes.
If you plan to enjoy this as a soup, you can add veggies like carrot, sweet potato to celery along with the lentils before you pressure cook. Stir spinach or kale at the end to make this a hearty vegetable lentil soup.
You can also double this recipe with the same cooking time. The pressure cooker will just take longer to come to pressure. This lentil also freezes well, so it is great for meal prep.
Enjoy this easy and delicious lentil soup.
If you like this recipe, you might like the below Indian favorites made in a pressure cooker:
Green Moong Dal / Green Lentil Soup Recipe - Instant Pot & Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Green Gram Lentils (Green Moong Dal) whole, rinsed (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 1 tbsp Ghee or Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper chopped (optional)
- 1/2 tbsp Ginger minced or paste
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic minced or paste
- 1 Onion medium, diced
- 2 Tomato medium, chopped
- 3 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- Cilantro to garnish
Spices
- 1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne or Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds, green chili and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add chopped tomato, spices and stir.
- Add lentils and water. Stir well. Press CANCEL and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.
- Press MANUAL or Pressure Cook mode for 15 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR).
- Open the lid and add lime juice and cilantro. Stir and green moong dal is ready to be served.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Heat oil in the pressure cooker on medium-high flame. Add cumin seeds, green chili and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for 3 minute.
- Add chopped tomato, spices and stir.
- Add lentils and water. Stir well.
- Cover the lid, turn the heat on high flame and pressure cook it until your hear two whistles. Now reduce the flame to medium and pressure cook it for another 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and add lime juice and cilantro. Stir and green moong dal is ready to be served.
Video
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
I don't see the link to the Bhuna masala recipe you have mentioned in the notes. Could you share that too?
Hi Abhishek - Sorry for the miss. Here is the link for the Bhuna Masala recipe : https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-curry-sauce-bhuna-masala/. I have added the link to the recipe notes too.
My fam loves this. New favorite daal!
Hi Saba - So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I've made this recipe a number of times and really like it! I'm trying it in the 8 qt as a double recipe today. Is it lime or lemon juice you're supposed to add at the end? In the ingredient list its says lemon and in the directions it says lime.
Hi Greta - Sorry for the confusion. I add lime juice in this recipe. I have updated the recipe details. Glad to hear you have enjoyed this dal.
My dal could have cooked a bit longer than the recipe called for. When I was growing up my grand mother and my mum made the dal softer and more homogeneous. A softer dal would have rated a 5.
This dal was extremely delicious though.. Thanks,
Hi Ash - Thank you for sharing your feedback. Sometimes the lentils or beans can be old which take a bit longer to soften completely. But there is really no way to find that out. Feel free to add 5 minutes to the cook time to get the right consistency. I am glad you still enjoyed the taste of the dal 🙂