Green Moong Dal Fry - also known as Sabut Moong Dal, Green Gram Curry, or Khada Moong Dal - is a hearty Indian dish made with whole green mung beans, warming spices, and a flavorful double tadka (tempering). This wholesome, protein-rich dal is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and comes together in 30 minutes-no soaking required! Whether you're looking for a comforting dinner, a plant-based protein option, or a quick Instant Pot Indian moong recipe, this one-pot dal is a delicious and nourishing choice.
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What Is Green Moong Dal Fry
Green Moong Dal Fry, also known as Sabut (whole in Hindi) Moong Dal, Green Gram Curry, or Khada Moong Dal, is a hearty North Indian-style lentil dish made with whole green moong (mung beans) and a flavorful blend of spices. This rustic, homestyle Punjabi curry is warm, comforting, and packed with plant-based protein - making it perfect for everyday meals.
Also referred to as Dal Mughlai or Mag nu Shaak in some regions, this vegan and gluten-free green moong dal recipe is easy to digest and comes together quickly. Whether you're serving it with steamed rice, jeera rice, or roti, it's a nourishing meal made without cream or butter that still satisfies and comforts.
Naturally rich in nutrients, whole moong beans are considered one of the best vegan-vegetarian superfoods in Indian cuisine. Its mild, earthy flavor makes it the perfect base for a flavorful, cozy mung beans curry that the whole family will love. The texture of this sabut moong ki dal is very similar to Kali Daal.
Green Moong vs. Yellow Moong Dal
Wondering what sets green moong and yellow moong dal apart? Both are popular in Indian cooking and come from the same legume - mung beans - but they differ in processing, texture, and flavor.
Green mung beans, also known as Sabut Moong Dal, Khada Moong Dal, or Whole Green Gram, is the whole, unpeeled mung bean. It has a nutty flavor and holds its shape well, making it ideal for curries and sprouting. I use whole moong dal to make Pesarattu. I mix in these green mung with brown (moth beans) and make Misal Pav.
Yellow Moong Dal is the split and de-skinned version of the same bean. It cooks faster, has a mild flavor, and turns soft and creamy - perfect for chilla, soups, khichdi, namkeen, everyday dals like Methi Daal, appetizers like Moong Dal Toast, and Moong Dal Pakora.
Quick Tip:
Use whole mung beans for a heartier texture and earthy taste. Choose yellow moong for a smoother, lighter dish.
Love lentils but feel like you've tried every possible way to use them? Get inspired with these delicious and creative lentil-based recipes: Paruppu Vada, Sindhi Dal Pakwan, Lentil Soup Recipe, Dal Tadka, Steamed Vegan Lentil Balls, Paruppu Sevai, Khichdi, Medu Wada, and Kali Dal.
There's something for every mood - from crispy snacks to comforting meals! If you love cooking with moth beans (matki), don't miss my recipes for Matki Usal, and Instant Pot Misal - both are hearty, flavorful, and easy to make!
Why Make It
- 🌱 Wholesome and Nutritious: Packed with plant-based protein, fiber, and iron, green moong beans support a healthy lifestyle, digestive health, and balanced diet.
- 🍲 Easy, Instant Pot-Friendly and Beginner-Friendly: A fuss-free vegan green dal fry recipe made with pantry staples and simple Indian spices - no soaking needed! It's also a great one-pot meal that requires minimal cleanup.
- 🤎 Comforting and Flavorful: Warm, rustic, and full of homestyle goodness - just like mom used to make!
- 🍛 Versatile and Meal Prep Friendly: It's a curry, soup, and dal, all-in-one! No soaking required. Stores well, making it ideal for batch cooking, lunchboxes, or weeknight dinners. Great for weekly meal rotation. Try the pot-in-pot method to cook rice and dal together for a wholesome meal.
- 🌿 Naturally Vegan, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, and Gluten-Free: A great choice for those following a plant-based or gluten-free diet - no substitutions required!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Green Moong (Whole Green Gram): Use whole green mung beans for an authentic and hearty whole mung curry. These dry, hard lentils are commonly available at Indian grocery stores, Whole Foods, Costco and online retailers like Amazon.
Spices: Essential spices include turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, gluten-free asafoetida (hing), garam masala, dried bay leaf, coriander powder, cardamom powder, cumin powder, and dried red chilies - all adding warmth and depth to your green gram curry.
Aromatics and Herbs: Fresh ingredients like curry leaves, onion, garlic, ginger paste, green chilies, kasuri methi, lemon juice, fried onions, and cilantro (coriander leaves) bring vibrant flavor and aroma to this Indian mung bean recipe.
Tomatoes add a subtle tang and balance to this Instant Pot green moong dal curry. You can use either fresh chopped tomatoes or tomato purée based on what you have on hand.
Instead of cream, I've added unsweetened vegan yogurt to give this moong ki sabzi a rich, creamy texture while keeping it dairy-free and plant-based. For variation, try adding coconut milk or cashew cream for a different creamy touch.
Since this is a vegan Green Gram Masala, I use homemade dairy-free ghee to keep the dish rich and flavorful while staying completely plant-based. But you can substitute with any vegetable oil or plant-based butter for a lighter or different flavor.
I've used the Instant Pot to make this flavorful mung bean curry, but you can also prepare this wholesome green gram curry using a traditional Indian pressure cooker or on the stovetop-just adjust the cooking time as needed.
How To Make It 🔪
- Turn on the Instant Pot in saute mode. Heat vegan ghee and when it's hot, temper mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, dried bay leaf, and chopped cilantro stems. Fry for 10 seconds.
- Then add the garlic (reserve some for the 2nd tadka), ginger paste, and chopped green chillies. Continue to saute for another 30 seconds. Drizzle some water to prevent the paste sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chopped onions. Saute till they turn translucent.
- Next, add the chopped tomatoes along with salt. Cook for 30 seconds.
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- Add the green moong as is. There is no need to soak it.
- Then add all the spices - turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilly powder, coriander powder, cardamom powder, cumin powder. Add some warm water to prevent the spices from burning. Fry for 30 seconds.
- Add water or vegetable stock along with salt. Mix and deglaze the pot.
- Cook in Pressure mode for 15 minutes. Release pressure naturally. When done, mix and lightly mash the moong beans. Mashing some beans makes the curry creamier.
- Garnish the mung bean curry with crushed kasuri methi and vegan yogurt. Also add cilantro, and lemon juice (Skip this step if you plan to freeze the Dal Mughlai. Add them after thawing). Mix.
- Heat vegan ghee in a small tadka pan. Fry the remaining garlic, dried red chillies, red chilly powder, fried onions, and GF hing. Fry till the garlic turns light golden. Pour this tadka over the Green Gram Curry. Then garnish with chopped cilantro. Mix and serve. Chef tip - Finish with lemon juice just before serving for a fresh flavor lift.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Green Moong Dal gravy pairs wonderfully with a variety of Indian breads like roti, naan, kulcha, paratha, khakhra, or chapati - making it a perfect comfort food meal. It also goes beautifully with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice, or ghee rice for a classic dal-chawal combo. For a healthier twist, you can serve this green gram curry with quinoa, millet, brown rice, or even cauliflower rice. If serving it as a soup, serve it with some Garlic Bread.
Add a side of pickle, papad, or a simple Koshimbir, cucumber salad and Masala Chaas Popsicles to round out the meal. This sabut moong ki dal also doubles up as a nourishing, protein-rich soup - just thin it out slightly with water or broth before serving. It's also great for weekly meal prep, as it stores well and flavors deepen over time! Pack this Indian lentil curry in lunchboxes or serve it for lunch, dinner, brunch, potlucks, and parties - a versatile and wholesome green gram dal recipe everyone will love!
💭 Priya's Recipe Tips
This green gram curry features two tadkas (tempering), which add incredible layers of flavor. For a quicker version, you can combine both tadkas into one or stick to just the first. Whole green moong can be replaced with white chana, black chana, moth beans, black eyed peas, or yellow dal too. If you want to cook the rice along with the green moong dal using the pot-in-pot method, soak the mung for 4 hours. That will cook the mung and rice evenly.
FAQs 📖
Yes. Soak the green mung in water for an hour. Drain and transfer to a Pressure Cooker. Add water, salt, and turmeric powder. Give it 2-3 whistles. The number of whistles may vary. If you don't have an Indian Pressure Cooker, you can cook them directly on the stovetop, in a pan. It will take 15-20 minutes for the moong beans to cook. Keep in mind that they should not overcook and turn mushy. When done, mix and lightly mash the mung beans. Then follow the recipe for tempering it.
Yes! Green moong sprouts is even more nutritious plus it cooks faster. Reduce the cooking time to 8 minutes if using sprouted moong. If you use split mung dal, the cooking time will be 6 minutes on high pressure.
Leftover Dal Mughlai can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Keep in mind, this sabut moong dal will naturally thicken as it cools. Simply reheat with a splash of warm water or vegetable broth to bring it back to your desired consistency. It also freezes well for up to 3 months - perfect for batch cooking or meal prep!
To boost the nutrition, stir in fresh greens like spinach, baby kale, or methi (fenugreek leaves) - they complement the earthy taste of this sabut moong dal beautifully. You can also add veggies like carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or celery.
To make the moong curry more creamy add coconut milk or cashew cream. Skip onion and garlic to make it Jain. Tamarind or kokum can also be added instead of tomatoes to give it more tangy flavor. Consider stirring in a pinch of amchur powder for added tang and aroma.
There is no need to soak the green mung bean if you're using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, but soaking it for a couple of hours can help the beans cook faster and turn out softer. If you're using soaked green moong beans, cook them in the Instant Pot on Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes. If the beans are not soaked, simply increase the pressure cooking time to 15 minutes. Both methods work well for this green gram curry, depending on your prep time.
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Recipe 📖
Green Moong Dal Fry (Green Gram Curry) - Sabut Moong Dal
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Instant Pot Green Moong Dal
- 1 tablespoon vegan ghee
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8-10 fresh curry leaves
- 1-2 dried bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 2 green chillies
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1-2 tomatoes
- 1 cup dry green moong dal
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 3 cups water
- salt
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi
- ⅓ cup vegan unsweetened yogurt
- ⅓ tablespoon cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For The Green Moong Dal Second Tadka
- 1 tablespoon vegan ghee or Thecha Butter
- ½ teaspoon GF asafoetida
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 dried red chillies
- ½ teaspoon red chilly powder
- 2 tablespoon fried onions
Instructions
To Make Instant Pot Green Moong Dal
- Turn on the Instant Pot in saute mode. Heat vegan ghee and when it's hot, temper mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, dried bay leaf, and chopped cilantro stems. Fry for 10 seconds.
- Then add the garlic (reserve some for the 2nd tadka), ginger paste, and chopped green chillies. Continue to saute for another 30 seconds. Drizzle some water to prevent the paste sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chopped onions. Saute till they turn translucent.
- Next, add the chopped tomatoes along with salt. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the green moong as is. There is no need to soak it.
- Then add all the spices - turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder, cardamom powder, red chilly powder, and cumin powder. Add some warm water to prevent the spices from burning. Fry for 30 seconds.
- Add water or vegetable stock along with salt. Mix and deglaze the pot.
- Cook in Pressure mode for 15 minutes. Release pressure naturally. When done, mix and lightly mash the moong beans. Mashing some beans makes the curry creamier.
- Garnish the mung bean curry with crushed kasuri methi and vegan yogurt. Also add cilantro, and lemon juice (Skip this step if you plan to freeze the Dal Mughlai. Add them after thawing). Mix.
For The Green Moong Dal Second Tadka
- Heat vegan ghee in a small pan. Fry the remaining garlic, dried red chillies, red chilly powder, fried onions, and GF hing. Fry till the garlic turns light golden. Pour this tadka over the Green Gram Curry. Then garnish with chopped cilantro. Mix and serve. Chef tip - Finish with lemon juice just before serving for a fresh flavor lift.
Gabi says
This is an amazing lentil dish I could eat at any time of the day. I love all those aromatic spices.
Natalie says
Looks so delicious and comforting! Perfect for these cold days that just popped in! Can't wait to try this recipe ♥
MMarin says
I always want to use lentils but it's not something I grew up with, I'm feeling inspired now! Such an informative post on some seriously delicious looking food!
Luci's Morsels says
This delicious looks so beautiful! And I just love lentils. i didn't learn to love them until grad school and now I can imagine eating them everyday. They're such an easy food to consume and they can take on so many flavors! Can't wait to try this!!
Veena Azmanov says
Simple and delicious and best healthy Dinner option always. Love it.