Wholesome Green Moong Dal is a delicious creamy lentil soup that is so easy and quick to make in a pressure cooker. This mung bean curry is a protein-packed, comforting meal with rice made with mung beans, onions, tomatoes, and aromatic spices. Vegan & Gluten-free.
This is a North Indian-style recipe for green moong dal. This dal is also known as sabut moong dal (sabot means whole), chilka moong dal (chilka means with skin), or green gram dal, or mung beans.
Growing up, this dal used to be made almost every week for dinner. We always had a veggie curry, lentil or legume, and roti (Indian flatbread) for dinner. Some days, we would have rice, but not every day. This is a very typical North Indian dinner.
This dal is also popular in other parts of India. In Gujarat, it is called mag; in Tamil Nadu, it is called pachai payaru curry.
If you don’t have green moong dal in your pantry, check out other popular North Indian lentil soups – Chana Dal, Moong Dal Fry, and Moth Bean Curry.
Don’t forget to check out my post for 29 Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Green Moong Dal / Mung Bean Curry
Is Green Moong Dal healthy?
Green Moong Dal, also called Mung beans, are high in protein and fiber, making it easier to digest and keeping us full for longer. This is why this dal is considered to help with weight loss. Each cup serving of whole moong dal contains around 15g of fiber and 14g of protein.
They are also a good source of vitamins, minerals, potassium, and magnesium. They are also high in antioxidants.
Whole Moong beans are a good source of folate, which makes them great to eat during pregnancy.
Moong beans are versatile and can be eaten as soup, curry, or salad. So, do incorporate them into your diet.
Curious about pulses used in Indian cooking? Check out my detailed guide about Indian Pulses.
Ingredients
The main ingredient for this curried mung bean recipe is dry green mung beans. These can be easily found in Indian grocery stories. You can also find these in some regions at mainstream stores such as Whole Foods and Costco. And they are also easily available on Amazon to ship.
Other than the dal, we mostly use pantry ingredients such as – onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and spices.
How to Make Green Moong Lentils in Instant Pot?
I do not soak these lentils. If you have planned well, you can reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes. I usually don’t plan much for lentils, as I know I can easily and quickly cook them in the pressure cooker.
Heat ghee (oil for vegan) in the instant pot in sauté mode and add the cumin seeds. Then add green chili, onions, ginger, and garlic.
Saute for about 3 minutes until the onions soften. Then, add the chopped tomato and spices.
Now add in the rinsed green moong dal and water.
Pressure cook for 15 minutes. Then, let the pressure release naturally.
If you are in a hurry, it is also okay to open the instant pot after 15 minutes of natural pressure release.
Add the lime juice and mix the dal well.
Garnish with cilantro, and enjoy.
How to cook in Stovetop 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.
How to Serve?
This Green Moong Dal pairs perfectly with basmati rice. You can also pair it with quinoa or cauliflower rice. Pair with kachumber salad and raita.
Sometimes, we also like to add a bit of tempering to the dal when serving. This is the red color oil (or ghee) along with the sautéed garlic you see on the top of the bowl of dal in the pics.
To make the tempering, in a small pan, heat ghee or oil. Add some cumin seeds and finely diced or sliced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds to a minute until the garlic becomes golden in color. Then, take the pan off the heat and add a pinch of red chili powder. I prefer Kashmiri red chili powder, as it is not spicy.
Drizzle this tempering over the dal when serving. It adds such a beautiful pop of color!
Tips for Perfect Mung Bean Curry
Make it Vegan: Replace ghee with your favorite plant-based oil to make this recipe vegan.
Add veggies or greens: If you plan to enjoy this as a soup, add veggies like carrots and 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.
Double the quantity: You can also double this recipe with the same cooking time. The pressure cooker will take longer to come to pressure. This lentil also freezes well, so it is great for meal prep.
Use my Onion Tomato Bhuna Masala: You can use 1/2 cup of this masala and skip onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic in this recipe. Do adjust the spices to your taste.
Using split green moong dal in this recipe: You can follow the same recipe, but pressure cook for only 6 minutes.
Common Questions
It is not required to soak the dal. But if you prefer, soak it for 1 hour up to overnight. Reduce the pressure cooking time to 12 minutes for soaked dal.
Leftover cooked dal can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the dal for up to 4 months.
Transfer to the refrigerator to defrost, then reheat in the microwave for 1-3 minutes, depending on the quantity of dal.
Enjoy this easy and delicious green lentil soup.
If you like this recipe, you might like the below Indian Lentil favorites made in a pressure cooker:
Green Moong Dal (Mung Bean Curry)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Green Gram Lentils (Green Moong Dal), whole, rinsed (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger, grated or paste
- 1/2 tablespoon Garlic, minced or paste
- 1 cup Onion, diced
- 1 cup Tomato, chopped
- 3 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- Cilantro, to garnish
Spices
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder), I used Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.
- 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.
Hi is there a way to make this without a pressure cooker or instant pot? I’d really like to make it but don’t have those pots.
Hi Alek – Sure! To cook on the stovetop in a pot, I would suggest cooking the dal with water and salt separately first. In a pan, add oil, cumin, onion, tomatoes, and aromatics as suggested in the recipe. Then, once the dal is cooked and softened, add it to the onion tomato masala. Then cook them along for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
Wonderfully simple. I have now saved money from buying dal. Now I just by Roti or Chapati. Perhaps I the future I will attempt to make that, but very happy making fresh dal.
Hi Salman – That’s fantastic to hear! 🙂
How spicy is this? What is spicier, the Green Chili Pepper or the red chili powder? Love your recipes! Thanks
the green chili is very spicy (to me with no spice tolerance), the red chili powder is barely spicy. i generally leave the green out in recipes because i am weak
Hi Mary – This dal is not spicy. If you like, as a start, skip the red chili powder and cook the dal. Then add the red chili powder as needed to taste.
Are mung beans and lentils different things in Indian cooking? I’ve always known mung beans as the round, small beans of green yellow color, while lentils have a flat disk shape. From where I live, mung beans are only used in desserts so it was a mind-blowing experience for me when I learned that they can be used in savory dishes. I often see the word “lentil” used in moong dal recipe so I’m curious.
Hi Trang – Here is a post I wrote about the variety of pulses used in Indian cooking – https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-pulses/
this is the best recipe for mung bean dal. I’m a huge fan of mung bean and maje this recipe weekly for lunches.
Hi Joni – I’m thrilled to hear that you’ve found the perfect mung bean dal recipe!
Tried this recipe in my Instant Pot and It was SOOOO simple and flavourful. Thank you so much for the precise measurements. Your recipes are my go-to when it comes to the instant pot. ❤️
Hi Shailaja – I’m thrilled to hear that the recipe worked well for you in the Instant Pot and that you enjoyed its flavors! Thank you for your kind words and support.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes Meeta! Every dish I’ve made so far from your website has turned out incredible! This moong dal recipe is just the kind of comfort food that my husband and I love that reminds us of home and our parents. It is definitely going into my rotations! Because of you I am getting better and better at cooking Indian dishes!
Hi Devayani – I’m delighted to hear that my recipes have been a success for you, and I’m glad that the moong dal recipe has brought you comfort. 🙂
2nd time I’m making this dish. It’s so good!!! The ghee definitely elevates this dish. I add a little kasoori methi before serving. Thanks for sharing this recipe – nutritious & delicious
Hi RD – So glad that you are enjoying the dal.
I am a bit cofused over which type of bean to use you use 3 different terms dhal, lentil and mung, I can buy them here but all slightly different. Lentils either split or whole in orange or green, dhal several types similar to lentils but much smaller and generally require less cooking and mung beans round and green slightly larger than lentils which I usually use to grow bean sprouts for stir fry. Which of these is the recipe using
Hi Penny – Use the whole green mung beans. We usually call the preparation for all lentils as dal in India. Here I have provided details about the variety of pulses we use in indian cooking – https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-pulses/
This is so good. I think it just replaced your Moong Daal Fry as my favorite recipe. A friend gave me some “moong dal split with husks”. I’ve tried to Google information on dals with husks but I remain confused about the husks part. Will a dal with husk cook that same as one without? Thank you for sharing all your lovely recipes!
Hello Susan – The cooking time for moong dal with husk is a little higher than for one without husk. Other than that, the recipe remains the same. For split moong dal with husk, cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.