Garlicky Green Moong Dhal

As we go into the colder months here in Melbourne, a hot bowl of dhal becomes a staple for me. I make a few different types but considering there are a million yellow lentil recipes out there, I thought I’d share a slightly different one with you all. I find it ironic that I’m sharing a dhal recipe because when I was younger, I hated it. We ate it so often! We didn’t have a lot of money growing up and dhal was a regularly served because of how economical it is. Like most dried beans and lentils, a little goes a long way. Fast forward to me now and I crave dhal when I haven’t had it for a couple weeks. Funny how life works hah!

This recipe uses the green moong dhal, which can be found at supermarkets, Asian and Indian stores, and online quite easily. However, if all you have is the yellow spit pea lentil, you can also use that. The cook time and taste will vary, but it will still be delicious.

I don’t have a pressure cooker or instant pot, so I use a normal heavy bottom pot and let time & heat do it’s thing. I usually make a large pot and freeze some to pull out in a few weeks. As with anything cooked with spices, it tastes better as it sits. So if you have the time, leave it for at least 30 minutes before you serve, longer if you can.

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Garlicky Green Moong Dhal (Mung Bean)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 cup whole green moong dhal/mung bean (dried)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2-3 whole green chillies, split in half (optional)
• 400g tin of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1.5 liters water, hot/just boiled from the kettle
• 1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder**
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 bunch of coriander (approx. 1 cup), divided, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped
• Salt to taste

Tadka

• 3 heaped tablespoons ghee
• 4-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Instructions

1. Rinse the moong dhal and soak in plenty of water for 3-4 hours. After soaking, discard the soaking water and set aside*.
2. In a large heavy bottom pot, heat neutral oil on medium heat. Add in cumin and mustard seeds until they start to splatter and pop, then add the onions and a small pinch of salt. Sauté until the onions become soft, translucent and start to brown around the edges.
3. To the onions, add the garlic, ginger and green chillies, if using. Sauté this until the garlic and onions begin to turn golden brown.
4. Add in the tinned tomatoes, with their liquid. Using your spoon break up the tomatoes and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes have cooked down. Add in the garam masala, coriander powder, Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric powder. Sauté for 30 seconds, until just fragrant, be careful not to burn the spices
5. To the tomato mixture add the drained lentils, coriander stems, water and a little more salt. Stir well to combine. If you taste the liquid, you should taste the salt but it should not be “fully seasoned”. Cover, leaving the lid a little ajar and turn the heat up to bring to the boil.
6. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cook until the lentils are soft and the curry has thickened up. Stir occasionally to ensure noting sticks to the bottom. This can take anywhere form 30 minutes to 45 minutes depending on your lentils.
7. When the lentils are cooked through, make the tadka in a separate frypan. Heat a small frypan over medium heat, add in ghee and heat up. Once the ghee is hot, add in the sliced garlic and fry until it starts to turn golden on the edges, then add in the cumin seeds.
8. Once the garlic is golden, remove the pan off the heat and add in the Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric powder. Add half this mixture the dhal and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt if needed. If you have time, rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
9. To serve, put the dhal into a bowl, spoon over remaining tadka and scatter with coriander leaves. Serve with rice, roti, paratha or on its own.

Notes

*You don’t have to soak the lentils, but it may take longer to cook and the texture won’t be as creamy. Also, farts. so yeah, I'd recommend soaking.

**Kashmiri chilli powder is a mild chilli powder readily available at Indian/South Asian grocers and online. However if you can't find it, use any chilli powder you have but adjust the quantity according to your preferred heat level.

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