Make tasty whole green moong dal without onion and garlic in your Instant Pot pressure cooker in minutes. It is also known as sabut moong dal, green gram dal, and moong bean. This mung bean curry is protein-rich and healthy enough to include in your diet every day. Eat is as a soup or pair it with some rotis and steamed rice. . Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Being a vegetarian, I can’t imagine my meals without lentil and beans. Pulses are rich in protein and form an important part of our vegetarian diet. I like to add lentils to our meals almost every day. Some days it is as simple as dal rice like this carrot dal and on other days it is in the form of a soup like this Quinoa lentil detox soup.
I grew up in a Jain Marwari family eating this green moong dal every few days. Moong bean has always been a part of my diet since I was a baby. My mom fed me moong dal water when I was 6 months old. She made it for breakfast and we had it with khakhras. Sometimes she made it for lunch or dinner and served it with roti, rice, and a subzi. She used leftover dal if any to make delicious theplas.
Green moong dal recipe without onion and garlic
The recipe that I am sharing today is moong dal without onion garlic or tomatoes. It is Jain mung bean suitable to eat every day, even on tithis like aatham, chaudas and fits in the Paryushan menu.
This mung bean curry uses only pantry ingredients. If you are out of fresh veggies then make this curry with rice or rotis.
Does it taste really good with minimum ingredients
Yes, absolutely. This Jain recipe uses kokum, dry spices and amchoor to make a delicious dal even without onion, tomatoes, garlic, or even lemon.
You can always use green chilies, curry leaves and freshly squeezed lemon to make it more flavorful.
Easy handsfree method
The easiest way to cook Green Moong Dal is to use a pressure cooker.
I am using my electric pressure cooker Instant Pot to make it. Feel free to use the traditional one!
Soaking or no soaking method
- Green moong dal or mung bean does not require soaking as chickpea does.
- It cooks quickly in a pressure cooker even without soaking.
- If I plan to make rice with moong then I soak it for 3-4 hours.
- This way I can cook the dal and rice together in an Instant pot using pot in pot method.
- Soaking also reduces the cooking time of the mung bean.
Step by Step making of Green moong dal
Cooking green moong dal without soaking –
Wash the dal 2-3 times under cold tap water and drain excess water.
Warm ghee in the Instant Pot on saute mode
Once hot, add everything called in the tempering section in the order written.
Immediately add in ½ cup water.
Let it cook for 10 seconds.
At this point, you may remove 2-3 tablespoons tadka to add it later after cooking. (See Notes)
Add in the moong bean dal and remaining water.
Add in salt and sugar.
Give it a stir.
Cancel sautee mode and close the pot with the lid.
Make sure the black knob is turned to the SEALING position.
Press Manual, cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 13 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
Once the silver pin drops down (takes approx. 15 minutes), open the lid carefully.
Stir well and smash some moong to check if it’s done.
Moong dal will thicken after cooling
Pre-soaked green moong dal
If using pot in pot method to cook rice then do the following.
Soak the moong dal 2-3 hours in warm water to match the cooking time with rice.
Wash rice and fill in with fresh water. The ratio I follow is 1:1.5 (rice: water)
No need to soak rice.
Follow the steps above to cook moong dal until (give it a stir).
Place a long leg trivet inside the pot.
Top it with a rice bowl covered.
Close the lid and follow the instructions mentioned in the soaking method above.
Cook on manual HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
Useful tips to make delicious Moong Bean Curry
Soaking mung bean for 3-4 hours will cut down the cooking time.
Add some vegetable stock to eat this dal like a soup.
Moong dal thickens after it’s cooled. So add more water to hydrate and adjust the consistency if needed.
Storing cooked green moong dal
You can make a big batch of moong bean curry and freeze in single-use portion size containers up to 3 months.
Thaw it in the microwave or room temperature.
Keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 days.
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Other recipes without onion and garlic
Lentil Dosa without rice (Mixed Dal Dosa)
Nourishing Lentil Recipes to try –
Indian Vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup
Green Moong Dal in Instant Pot Recipe
Green Moong Dal (Instant Pot Vegetarian Curry)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Green Moong Dal
- 3 cups water
For Tempering
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- Pinch of hing
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds jeera
- 3-4 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies chopped (optional)
- 2-3 dried kokum see notes
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder adjust to your taste
- ½ cup water
Additional ingredients
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar optional
- 2-3 cloves optional
Add these tastemakers towards the end –
- Fistful of chopped cilantro
- Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Cooking green moong dal without soaking.
- Wash the dal 2-3 times under cold tap water and drain excess water.
- Warm ghee in the Instant Pot on sautee mode
- Once hot, add everything called in the tempering section in the order written.
- Immediately add in ½ cup water.
- Let it cook for 10 seconds.
- At this point, you may remove 2-3 tablespoons tadka to add it later after cooking. (See Notes)
- Add in the moong bean dal and remaining water.
- Add in salt and sugar.
- Give it a stir.
- Cancel saute mode and close the pot with the lid.
- Make sure the black knob is turned to the SEALING position.
- Press Manual, cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 13 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
- Once the silver pin drops down (takes approx. 15 minutes), open the lid carefully.
- Stir well and smash some moong to check if it’s done.
- Moong dal will thicken after cooling.
Pre-soaked green moong dal
- If using pot in pot method to cook rice then do the following.
- Soak the moong dal 2-3 hours in warm water to match the cooking time with rice.
- Wash rice and fill in with fresh water. The ratio I follow is 1:1.5 (rice: water)
- No need to soak rice.
- Follow the steps above to cook moong dal until (give it a stir).
- Place a long leg trivet inside the pot.
- Top it with a rice bowl covered.
- Close the lid and follow the instructions mentioned in the soaking method above.
- Cook on manual HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
Notes
Possible substitutes
Kokum is used for a tangy flavor. Swap it with ½ teaspoon of amchoor powder. Or use freshly squeezed lemon juice towards the end. Adjust chilies and spices to your spice level.Make it Vegan!
Simply swap ghee with coconut oil.Useful tips to make delicious Moong Bean Curry
- Soaking mung bean for 3-4 hours will cut down the cooking time.
- Add some vegetable stock to eat this dal like a soup.
- Moong dal thickens after it's cooled. So add more water to hydrate and adjust the consistency if needed.
Storing cooked green moong dal
- You can make a big batch of moong bean curry and freeze in single-use portion size containers up to 3 months.
- Thaw it in the microwave or room temperature.
- Keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Nutrition
Finally!!
Mung bean is so versatile and can be enjoyed in so many ways. I like it in my salad, soup, curry, dal, dosa, pattice and, theplas. How do you like to eat moong dal? Let me know in the comment section.
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