Mung Daal

Delicious, Warming, Comforting, Nourishing and Nutritious Mung Daal is our go to Autumn/Winter meal. A classic Daal recipe using Mung Beans.

This is a healthy Daal that is thick, creamy and flavourful. 

Mung Daal

Some recipes should be kept simple and I think that is the case with Daal.

Although Daal recipes can be time consuming, this one isn't as time consuming as most but more to the point, it is a very easy recipe. 

To overcome the time it takes to cook Daal, some people cook mung daal in a pressure cooker and I have recently tried this with my electric pressure cooker, which is the best thing since sliced bread.

However, more often then not, I cook it on the stove.

I love this recipe because the earthy flavour of Mung Daal pairs perfectly with aromatic indian spices. 

The beauty of this dish is that you can have it as a soup. You can have it with a chappati/naan, you couldd even have it with rice or quinoa.

There are many variations to this recipe but this is how I like to make it.

To me, Mung Daal is a powerhouse of a recipe.

As some of you are aware, I study Naturopathy and in Ayurveda specifically there is a saying that goes 'Mug Chalawey Pug', which roughly translates to Mung gets your legs moving.

 

Mung is food for the soul. Food that gives you vitality and vigour.

It is easy to digest too (when soaked beforehand) and alongside other daals is amongst the first dishes a weaning baby is given. 

Often alongside a rice dish like Kitchari. 

Top Tips

Because this is a simple dish, there are a few steps that take it from average to divine. These are:

Build Flavour - Making sure that the flavour layers are cooked out properly so that the ingredients natural flavour is released as they should be.

Tomato - Taste your tomato. Many companies add a lot of citric acid to tomato tins/cartons. This can make the Daal extra sour. If they are sour, add a pinch of sugar in with the tomato.

Curry Leaves - Use fresh curry leaves if possible. There is nothing that they can be replaced with.

Yoghurt and tempering - The yoghurt in this recipe adds richness, depth and loads of flavour.

After adding the tempered spices to the yoghurt, you then need to add the yoghurt to the Daal and because the yoghurt is so cold and the Daal so hot, the Daal can split and you will see loads of little dots of yoghurt in the Daal.

If you instead add a couple of ladles of the Daal into the yoghurt mix before stirring the whole bowl back into the Daal, this won't happen. 

Soaking the Mung Beans - Doing so just makes the cooking of the Mung Beans quicker and aids in digestion.

What goes in Mung Daal

To make this Daal, you need:

A base of onions, garlic and green chilli. This is the usual base for many indian curries.

A second layer of tomato which is simmered until the oil separates from the tomato. Then dried spices are added.

Pre soaked and boiled Daal.

Tempered spices and yoghurt - tempering spices in ghee and then swirling them in the yoghurt before stirring them into the Daal. (See Notes)

Butter or Ghee - Add a small dollop of ghee/butter on top and mix through. Contrary to popular belief, Ghee is actually considered extremely healthy and beneficial to health in Naturopathy. 

 

Mung Daal and Other types of Daal

Mung Daal, Green Moong Dal or Green Gram as it is also known, lend an earthy flavour to dishes which is unmatched by other daals.

There are 3 varieties of Mung Beans:

The whole Mung bean which has to be soaked.

The split mung bean with skins attached and split mung beans without skins aka yellow mung. The whole green bean can also be sprouted and used in curries, soups and salads.

Ways to use different types of Daal

Split Mung Daal - The split Mung daal can be used in making many rice and daal dishes.

Indian Brown Lentils - These are sometimes added to rice dishes as with yellow split peas.

Black Gram Beans, Split Black Gram, Split and skinned black Gram (Urad Daal) - Earthy an often used to make the infamous dish Daal Makhani, these lentils are widely used in India.

They are also used to make Papadums, Dosa, Idli and Dahi Vada.

Split Pigeon Peas - These are often used in a similar way to split red lentils, where they are simmered and completely melted down or pureed into a thick soup like consistency.

I use them in Daal Chawal. (Lamb and Daal with Rice). 

Serving Suggestions

A dollop of ghee/butter is ALWAYS a good idea on any Moong Daal recipe.

A squeeze of Lemon Juice works well too. I prefer not to add lemon but others love it. This is down to personal preference.

The  leftovers can be turned it into a quesadilla. If you haven't had it before it sounds strange but please do try it if you do have leftovers.

So you reduce the daal down to dry it out a bit and spoon it onto half of a wrap or chappati. Then fold it over and dry fry in a pan flipping once in between. Simple and delicious!

Like many others, I usually serve mine with half an onion diced finely, steeped in 2 tbsp of malt vinegar.

How to make Mung Daal

Rinse the beans until the water runs clear.

Soak them in water for an hour.

Discard the water and add the beans to a pan with 6 cups of water.

Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and cover the pan.

Simmer for 30 minutes. (Check every ten minutes and add more water if necessary).

 

 

Chop the onions, crush the garlic and ginger and chop or pierce the green chillies.

 

 

 

Heat the oil and ghee and add the onions. Cook until dark golden brown. 

 

 

Add the garlic, ginger and chopped green chilli and saute.

 

Add the pureed tomatoes and simmer until the oil seperates from the tomato. 

 

 

Stir in the turmeric, red chilli, salt, coriander and cumin powders and saute.

 

 

Add the Madras Curry Powder and simmer before pouring in the boiled Mung Beans.

 

 

Temper the spices in Ghee. 

Stir them into the yoghurt.

Ladle some Mung into the yoghurt to avoid splitting  and carefully pour in to the Mung Daal pot.

Stir through.

Simmer and top with chopped coriander.

 

 

 

Best served with:

Chappati

Crusty buttery Bread

For Salad:

Kachumber Salad

Onion Raita

Like many others, I usually serve mine with half an onion diced finely, steeped in 2 tbsp of malt vinegar.

Pickles/Achaar.

More Recipes you will love:

Vegan/Vegetarian Healthy Manchow Soup – Indo Chinese

Red lentil and bulgar wheat soup

Masoor Dal Tadka

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