Green Moong Dal Fry (Green Gram Curry) – Sabut Moong Dal
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!
Servings 6 people
Calories 215.45kcal
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.
Notes
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 215.45kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.33g | Protein: 9.95g | Fat: 6.5g | Saturated Fat: 4.32g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.38g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.63g | Sodium: 86.41mg | Potassium: 585.38mg | Fiber: 7.72g | Sugar: 5.41g | Vitamin A: 465.66IU | Vitamin C: 39.62mg | Calcium: 103.45mg | Iron: 3.39mg