Swetha's Fusion

Moong Dal | Split Green Gram (Mung Beans) curry

Monday, June 08, 2020

Moong dal is one of the common curry/dal made. In our house, it is part of what we call comfort food. Dal basically means lentil (also referred to lentil curry). There are many variances in the recipes. What I am sharing is the most simplest one I learned from my mother-in-law, a Bengali style dal. Among all the lentils, Moong dal and Masoor dal cooks fast and easiest to digest as well. Moong dal has a cooling effect too, which is additional benefit besides all its nutritional properties. In India, as many are vegetarian, lentil is the main source for protein intake and hence one will find wide variety of recipes which calls for one or more legume to be used in a recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup - Moong dal (split green gram or Mung beans)
1 inch - Fresh ginger (or ½ tsp ginger powder)
½ tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tbsp - Ghee
1 tsp - Panch Phoron (combination of five seasoning seeds - Fenugreek/Methi seeds, Nigella/Kalonji seeds, Cumin/Jeera seeds, Black mustard/Sarso seeds and Fennel/Saunf (or sonp) seeds)
¼ tsp - Asafoetida (hing)
3 - Red chilies (or as per taste)
1 - Lime
Salt - as per taste
Chopped Coriander leaves for garnish

Preparing dal with Pressure cooker:

Wash Moong dal several times until water runs clear. Soak for about 15 minutes and drain.
Transfer the dal into a pressure cooker. Add about 3 cups of water.
On medium heat, cook dal for 1 to 2 whistle. This depends on the cooker design
Turn of the flame and let the pressure be released.
If it is convenient, you may continue to cook in the pressure cooker with the lid remove or transfer cooked dal to a saucepan
With back of a ladle mash the cook dal to the sides of the pan.
Put the saucepan on medium flame.
To the cooked dal, add salt and turmeric powder.
With flat side of a knife or a mortar and pestle, crush ginger and add it to simmering dal.
Meanwhile prepare for the seasoning.
Heat ghee in a small seasoning pan, when ghee becomes hot, add Panch Phoran. Break red chilies and add to the hot ghee. Once seeds starts splattering, add asafoetida/hing. (Optional: few curry leaves may also be added)
Pour the hot seasoning to the dal.
Lower the heat and let dal simmer for 5 more minutes.
Turn of the heat and add chopped coriander leaves (May add lemon juice too)
Serve Moong dal hot with lemon wedges on the side.
Goes well with rice and/or roti/chapati.

Preparing with Microwave:

...and another variation of tempering dal in the same saucepan rather than at the end

Wash Moong dal several times until water runs clear. Soak for 15 minutes and drain.
Transfer the dal into a microwave safe bowl. Take a bigger bowl as it may spillover as the dal comes to a boil.
Add about 2 cups of water. Microwave on high-heat for about 10 mins. (this depends on the microwave oven)
Heat ghee in a saucepan on medium flame. when ghee becomes hot, add Panch Phoran. Break red chilies and add to the hot ghee. Once seeds starts splattering, add asafoetida/hing. (Optional: few curry leaves may also be added)
Now, carefully add cooked dal to the tempering in the saucepan. Please note that the ghee is hot.
Stir and reduce the flame.
With back of a ladle mash the cook dal to the sides of the pan.
To the cooked dal, add salt and turmeric powder. Stir
With flat side of a knife or a mortar and pestle, crush ginger and add it to simmering dal.
Let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
Turn off and stir-in chopped coriander leaves
Serve Moong dal hot with lemon wedges on the side.
Goes well with rice or roti/chapati.