Green Moong Dal, also known as mung bean curry or green gram curry, is simple and easy to make. The moong beans are pressure-cooked in the Instant Pot with a few spices and aromatics to make a flavorful curry. Prepared in less than 30 minutes, this vegetarian dish is perfect for weeknight dinners and meal prep.
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Are you craving a satisfying vegetarian meal that's quick and easy to prepare? Look no further than our flavorful Green Moong Dal recipe - a favorite for its simplicity and taste.
This vegan Green Moong Dal recipe requires just a handful of ingredients and is ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights or meal prep.
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What is Green Mung Dal
Dal is a term used for a curry-like dish made using whole beans, split beans, or lentils. Dal is also a generic term used to refer to a variety of raw split lentils and beans used in Indian cooking.
This Green Mung Dal recipe uses whole mung or moong beans also known as green gram.
The mung beans have a nice earthy and nutty flavor that adds warmth to the vibrant spices of the curry. When cooked down, the mung beans become tender but still keep their shape. They absorb the sauce nicely and create a filling vegan Indian recipe.
Want to try cooking with mung beans in other ways? Try mung bean salad and mung dal chilla (pancakes) recipes.
Ingredients for Green Moong Dal
- Mustard seeds - add a nice earthiness and a a hint of sweetness to the curry.
- Cumin seeds - bring a bright almost hint of citrus flavor to the curry as well as a warming sweetness.
- Hing - also called asafetida, is a resin-like ingredient that comes from the root of ferula. Ferula is related to celery, parsley, and carrots and resembles a giant fennel plant. It has a pungent smell when raw, but when cooked, it can often smell like leeks.
- Curry leaves – provide a base warming flavor to the curry with the oil and the mustard seeds.
- Yellow onion and tomato – vegetable aromatics used to make the base of the curry sauce for the mung beans.
- Ginger and garlic paste – Ginger paste and garlic paste add the foundational flavors of Indian cooking to add spice and zest.
- Turmeric – adds an earthiness and a beautiful color to the curry.
- Kashmiri red chili powder – an essential chili powder in Indian cooking that adds the signature bright red color as well as a bit of heat. If you don’t have, you can substitute smoked or sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne.
- Ground coriander – adds a hint of citrus flavor as well as a warmth similar to cinnamon.
- Garam masala – this is the essential warm spice mix that gives an Indian curry that signature rich flavor. You can buy it at the store or make it easily at home with five ingredients.
- Whole moong beans – also known as green gram or mung beans, you can pre-soak the mung beans overnight, but it also isn’t necessary when using the Instant Pot.
- Jaggery – this is an optional ingredient that is a coarse dark brown sugar made from the sap of palm trees and used in Indian cooking. It adds a hint of sweetness to balance the rich spices of the curry.
- Lemon juice – adding a bit of acid at the end of a recipe brightens the flavors to be even more flavorful.
- Cilantro – adds a herby brightness with a bit of spice and citrus flavor to the curry recipe as a garnish.
How to Make Mung Bean Curry
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute Mode and heat oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and once they start to splutter, add cumin seeds, hing, and curry leaves.
- Add onions, ginger, and garlic paste and saute for two minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another minute, mixing well.
- Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, and garam masala. Add moong beans, and water and mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure release valve to sealing and pressure cook for 15 minutes followed by 10 minute natural pressure release.
- Open the Instant Pot and mix the dal
- Add jaggery, and lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with cilantro
Serving
Serve with basmati rice and pickled onions for a hearty, gluten-free, vegan Indian meal. You can also serve the mung bean curry with roti or paratha on the side, it’s perfect for scooping up the delicious curry.
Additionally, for a creamy and cooling component, my cucumber raita is delicious. It’s light and creamy and makes the ideal garnish to balance the rich flavors of the curry.
Tips
- Cut down on cook time – you can reduce the cook time by soaking the mung beans overnight or for 3 to 4 hours in warm water. Drain the soaking liquid and discard, then just cook on high pressure in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes.
- Make it spicy – if you prefer a curry with more heat, add 1 to 2 chopped green chilies along with the ginger and garlic in the recipe.
- If you don’t have Kashmiri red chili powder, use smoked or sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- If you need a substitute for jaggery, you can add some dark brown sugar or turbinado sugar instead.
- For a stovetop version of this recipe, simmer the mung bean curry covered for 30 minutes until the beans are tender.
How to Store
Store the mung bean curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can also freeze the curry for up to two months. Thaw on the counter for a couple of hours or in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat until heated through.
More Vegetarian Indian Recipes
Recipe
Green Moong Dal (Mung Bean Curry)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon hing
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 2 plum tomatoes diced
- ½ teapsoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder use less if using a spicier chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 cup whole moong beans (mung beans) rinsed and drained
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon jaggery optional
- ½ lemon juiced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute Mode and heat oil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add mustard seeds and once they start to splutter, add cumin seeds and hing. Add curry leaves, onions, ginger, and garlic paste and saute for two minutes.
- Add tomatoes and cook for another minute, mixing well.
- Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, and garam masala.
- Add moong beans, and water and mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure release valve to sealing and pressure cook for 15 minutes followed by 10 minute natural pressure release.
- Add jaggery, and lemon juice and mix well.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with steamed Basmati Rice and pickled onions for a delicious gluten-free and vegan meal. You can also serve with roti or paratha and cucumber raita.
Video
Notes
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- Cut down on cooking time – you can reduce the cooking time by soaking the mung beans overnight or for 3 to 4 hours in warm water. Drain the soaking liquid and discard then cook on high pressure in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes.
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- Make it spicy – if you prefer a curry with more heat, add 1 to 2 chopped green chilies along with the ginger and garlic in the recipe.
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- If you don’t have Kashmiri red chili powder, use smoked or sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
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- Substitute for jaggery, add dark brown sugar or turbinado sugar.
- Stovetop recipe - simmer the mung bean curry with the pot covered for 30 minutes or until the beans are tender.
Chris says
Hi, I want to try this recipe but it doesn’t say how many tomatoes to use? Can you help please?
Archana says
I missed adding them to the ingredient list. 2 plum tomatoes. Hope you like it.
Gaew says
This curry is super delicious!!! It’s light yet nutritious and soooo full of flavor. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!!
Jennifer says
Made this recipe today, very tasty and not to difficult to make. Just wish there was a cook mode button so the recipe didn’t keep scrolling.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you for the feedback. I will look into the cook mode and enable it.