Our Green Moong Dal Recipe – Instant Pot & Stovetop Methods

Also known as green gram curry, green moong dal is a tasty Indian dish featuring mung beans.

These are small green legumes that are found in a variety of dishes across India, China, and other parts of Southeast Asia.

It’s a simple, high-protein dish that is made all over the world, and it’s surprisingly easy to make.

If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, you’ll know all too well how convenient these appliances are. They’re great for cooking anything from curries and stews to soups and casseroles. These appliances are great for making green moong dal, and follow a fairly similar recipe.

So, if you want to make your very own green moong dal using mung beans, you’ve come to the right place.

Here is everything to know about green moong dal, including how to make it in an Instant Pot and on the stovetop!

How To Make Our Green Moong Dal

If you want to cook up a batch of green moong dal at home, here’s how!

Ingredients For Green Moong Dal

• 1 cup green moong dal (mung beans), soaked for 6-7 hours or overnight
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (or 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes)
• 1 tablespoon oil (or ghee, for non-vegan)
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups water (adjust for consistency)
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, for garnish

Green Moong Dal Instant Pot Recipe

1. Soak The Lentils: If you have the time, soak the mung beans overnight in water. Ideally, they should soak for 6 to 7 hours. This helps soften them and reduces the cooking time.
2. Sauté: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Once hot, add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them crackle. Then, add 1 teaspoon of minced ginger and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the chopped onions and green chilies, and sauté for 2–3 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
3. Tomatoes And Spices: Add the chopped tomatoes, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, and salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
4. Add The Lentils: Add the soaked mung beans to the mixture, along with 3 cups of water. Stir everything together.
5. Cook: Secure the lid on the Instant Pot. Set it to “Manual (High Pressure)” for 3 minutes. After cooking, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
6. Garnish And Serve: After opening the lid, adjust the dal’s consistency by adding more water if needed. Stir in fresh cilantro and lime juice before serving. Enjoy with rice, roti, or quinoa.

Green Moong Dal Stovetop Pressure Cooker Recipe

1. Soak The Lentils: Soak 1 cup of mung beans for 6-7 hours. In a stovetop pressure cooker, add the soaked mung beans and 3 to 3.5 cups of water. Cook on medium-high heat until the lentils are soft (around 15 to 20 minutes).
2. Sauté: In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, followed by minced ginger and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the chopped onions and green chilies, cooking until the onions are translucent.
3. Tomatoes And Spices: Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, chili powder, and salt. Cook until the tomatoes soften, then add the cooked mung beans to the pan. Stir to combine.
4. Garnish And Serve: Adjust the consistency by adding water if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice. Serve with rice, roti, or any side of your choice.

How To Serve Green Moong Dal

Green moong dal can be served in a myriad of ways depending on preference, portion size, and time of day.

Some great options to serve with green moong dal include steamed rice, roti, paratha, quinoa, or naan.

Alternatively, you can loosen the dal into a soup-like consistency with water to create a lentil soup. This is a delicious option for a cold fall evening and goes beautifully with chunky bread.

If you are on a diet for weight loss, or you’re conscious about the amount of carbs you’re consuming, you can also substitute white rice for brown rice or cauliflower rice.

Green Moong Dal Tips And Tricks

If you’ve never made green moong dal before and you don’t want to make mistakes, here are some of our top tips to make a fool-proof dal.

Otherwise, if you’ve tried to make this dish before, here are some things to look out for to make sure your dal is the best one out there.

Soak The Lentils

Soaking the mung beans is actually a really important step in making this dal. This is because mung beans are quite hard compared to other types of lentils, like yellow lentils.

So, you need to soak them to allow the cooking time to be quicker than if you were to cook them dry within the dal.

They need to be soaked in a bowl filled with water for about 6 to 7 hours, or preferably overnight.

If you haven’t soaked your lentils, there is a way around this. Instead, set the timer to 15 minutes on the Instant Pot (Quick Pressure Release), and add 3 cups of water to ¾ cup of dry mung beans. This will basically pre-cook them before you can follow the recipe as usual.

Change The Consistency

Dal is wonderful in that you can easily change the consistency with water. Some people prefer to have a thicker dal, while others prefer a looser texture.

Either way, you can loosen the dal with water towards the end stage of the recipe.

Alternatively, put the Instant Pot back onto Sauté mode for 2–3 minutes if there’s too much liquid.

Garam Masala Substitute

If you don’t have garam masala in your cupboard, don’t fret. You can easily make a substitute for this with half a teaspoon of coriander powder and half a teaspoon of cumin powder.

Spices can be expensive, so it’s good to experiment with what you’ve already got.

Final Thoughts

Green moong dal is not only a healthy and flavorful meal, but it’s also quick and easy to prepare, making it perfect for busy weeknights.

With a cooking time of around 30 minutes, this versatile dish can be made in an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker, giving you a nutritious and satisfying option in no time.

We hope this guide has provided you with everything you need to make a delicious batch of green moong dal at home.

Frequently Asked Questions