Instant pot green moong dal is a wholesome lentil curry. Easily made in instant pot and no pre soaking of lentils is required. Serve this dal with rice or chapathi or enjoy as a soup. Vegan & Gluten free too!
Dishes made with lentils are served year around in Indian house holds. One such dish is this green moong dal, a great comfort food that I love to make in the winter months.
I enjoy eating this dal with home made chapathi or brown rice or millets. But can also be enjoyed as a soup, with some baguette on the side.
Making green moong dal is very easy in the instant pot. No pre soaking of the green lentils are required. Recipes like these are savior in this busy life, specially on a busy week night. If you are looking for more easy recipes, do try my vegan pad thai and paneer butter masala.
Green Moong dal is also called as mung bean or green gram lentils. I generally buy them in Indian store but they should be available in bean isle in regular grocery stores. You can also buy them in amazon.
Why this Green Moong Dal recipe works
1.No pre soaking of the lentils is needed.
2.It is easily made in the instant pot.
Ingredients in Green Moong Dal
- Green Moong Dal
- Onion
- Tomato
- Ginger & Garlic
- Spices – red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder & garam masala
- Cumin seeds
- Oil (of your choice)
- Water
- Salt, Lemon juice & Cilantro
How to make Green Moong Dal in Instant Pot
1)Wash a cup of green moong dal/mung bean with tap water and set a side till you prep the other ingredients.
2)Turn on the saute mode on your instant pot and heat the oil.
3) Add the cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds.
4) Add onion and saute for two to three minutes. If the bottom of the IP is burning, add splashes of water.
5) Add the ginger-garlic and saute for a minute.
6) Now add in the tomato and cook till mushy, about two to three minutes.
7) Add all the ground spices- turmeric, coriander, red chilly powder, garam masala and salt and cook for a minute.
8) Add the lentils and 4 cups of water and mix well. Press cancel, close the lid and turn the vent to sealing position.
9) Press pressure cooker (manual mode) and adjust the cook time to 15 minutes.
10) Once done, let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Taste the dal and adjust the seasoning.
11) Serve hot with steamed rice and cucumber or any salad of your choice.
Can I make green moong dal in pressure cooker?
Yes, this lentil dal can be made in the stove top pressure cooker or in a sauce pan. Check the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Do we need to soak the dal?
No, we dont have to soak the dal. We are just going to wash the dal and cook in the onion masala.
If I have pre soaked the dal, how long do I cook it?
If using soaked dal, cook for 4 minutes in the instant pot and reduce the water amount to 2.5 cups.
More Green Moong Dal Recipes
Sprouted Green Moong Dal Salad and Video
Green Moong Dal Masala Vada
If you tried this Instant Pot Green Moong Dal recipe, don’t forget to give it a star rating below.
Instant Pot Green Moong Dal
Equipment
- Instant Pot/ Pressure cooker or Stove top
Ingredients
- 1 cup green moong dal ( also called as mung bean or green gram lentils)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium tomato, chopped
- Ā½ inch ginger, peeled and miced
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- a fresh squeeze of lemon juice
- cilantro for garnish
- 4 cups of water
spices-
- Ā¼ tsp turmeric powder
- Ā½ tsp red chili powder, or to taste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- Ā½ tsp garam masala , or curry powder
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot Method-
- Turn on the saute mode in your instant pot and heat the oil. Add cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, till slightly softened. Add in the ginger-garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add the tomato and cook till mushy.
- Add the spices and salt and cook for a minute.
- Now add washed dal (lentils) and four cups of water. Give a mix.
- Press cancel, close the instant pot lid and change the vent to the sealing position.
- Pressure cook (manual) in high pressure for 15 minutes. When the IP beeps, wait till the pressure releases naturally. In this recipe it is important to wait till the pressure is completely down.
- Finally add in some lemon juice and cilantro and stir well. You can adjust the amount of water, depending on how you like it. But remember the dal will thicken further on cooling.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Method-
- Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomato and cook till mushy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the spices and salt and cook for a minute.Finally add the dal and 3 cups of water and mix well.
- Close the pressure cooker lid and place the whistle. Turn the burner to medium flame and pressure cook for 3 whistles and then reduce the heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes.
Notes
- If using pre soaked lentils, cook them for only 4 minutes in the instant pot and reduce the water quantity to 2.5 cups.
- To make it no onion and garlic recipe- skip onion and use finely chopped bell pepper and you can totally skip garlic.Ā
- If the dal is too water- turn on the saute mode and cook the dal till you get the desired gravy consistency,
- If the dal is too thick, add little more water and cook for few more minute in the saute mode.
For more recipes and to see what’s cooking in my kitchen, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
Jordan
Hi what if Iām making split moogh dhal. Can you tell me measurement of water for one cup dal , and also how long to pressure for on IP .. txs
Madhavi
I have not tried with split moong dal. These take lot less time to cook then whole green moong dal. Try 6-7 minutes of cooking and add 3 cups of water for 1 cup dal. Hope this helps!
Lindsey
I want to make this but I only have black lentils – will they work?
Madhavi
Lindsey,
You can certainly use the black lentils but black lentils need pre soaking for atleast 8 hours. Then you can follow the recipe and cook for 30 minutes. Hope this helps.
Kelly
I made this dal exactly as written and it turned out perfect! Not mushy…. Not too soupy or too thick! Thank you for a healthy and delicious instant pot recipe!
Madhavi
Thank you Kelly. I am so glad the measurements helped.
Shail
Thank you for such a delicious and simple recipe! I followed it exactly and it turned out perfect!! š
Madhavi
Thank you Shail!
Pooja
Hi Madhu. This was an awesome recipe. so easy to make and loved that i didn’t need to soak. i tweeked it a bit by using 1/2 green moong and 1/2 red chori but used the same water measurement and time. Thanks for some great recipes!
Madhavi
Thanks Pooja. I am so glad you like the recipe.
Madhavi
Thank you!
Madhu
Thank you!