Cookbook:Indian Moong Dal

Indian Moong Dal
Category	Indian recipes
Servings	4
Difficulty

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This recipe is for cooking moong dal in the typical Indian way.

Ingredients

• ½ cup moong dal
• 3 green chiles
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1½ cups water
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil or ghee
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp jeera (cumin)

Procedure

1. Combine the dal, green chillies, turmeric powder, and water in a pressure cooker. Cook for 15 minutes, then leave the pressure cooker to release steam on its own.
2. Open the pressure cooker and mash the cooked dal. Add salt to taste. Add more water if it is too thick and heat over a medium heat.
3. Heat oil or ghee in a frying pan, then add jeera and curry leaves. After it splutters, pour it over the cooked dal.
4. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Notes, tips, and variations

Additions

• Try adding 1 tsp minced onion or shallot that has been browned in oil.
• Mustard seeds fried in oil can also be added.

Plain dal

This variation is ideal for the children who do not eat spicy food:

1. Cook the dal as described above. Remove the water above the dal and save it.
2. Partially mash the dal with the back of a ladle. Mix in ¼–½ tsp turmeric, 1 pinch asafoetida, 5 g jaggery, and salt.
3. Add enough of the saved water to make a soupy consistency (a bit thinner than soup). Boil it for 2–3 minutes.
4. Serve with 2–3 more tsp ghee.

Tadka

1. Cook the dal as described above. Remove the water above the dal and save it.
2. Heat a few teaspoons oil in a pan. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, 4–5 minced cloves of garlic, ½ inch minced ginger, and 1–2 torn green chiles. Cook until the spluttering subsides.
3. Add ½ tsp ground turmeric and 2–3 chopped tomatoes. Sauté well.
4. Stir in the cooked dal, along with enough reserved water to make it soupy. Season with salt to taste and keep warm.
5. Heat a few tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add 2–2½ tsp cumin seeds, 1 pinch asafoetida, and 2–3 torn red chiles.
6. Reduce the heat and mix in 1 tsp red chili powder. Pour the mixture over the dal, and serve hot.