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Home » Main course

Green mung bean curry (Green moong dal)

Published: May 9, 2022 by Vandana Chauhan. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Green mung bean curry, also known as Green moong dal or Sabut moong dal is a vegan and gluten-free recipe from India. This light and simple dish is made using whole mung bean (green gram) which has a very high significance in the ayurvedic diet.

Indian mung bean curry served with rice and salad in a white bowl.

After every festival season or a trip that involves a lot of unhealthy eating, we prefer having simple Indian home-cooked meals like dal chawal (rice with lentils), khichdi, or sabzi roti (a vegetable dish with whole wheat Indian bread).

The dal recipe which I am sharing today is one such dish that we eat during healthy eating days. The dish is called- sabut moong ki dal which is basically mung bean curry.

It is also called green moong dal or green gram curry.

Jump to:
  • What is sabut moong ki dal?
  • What goes in this mung bean curry?
  • Ingredient notes
  • How to make (step by step instructions)?
  • How to serve?
  • How to store?
  • Freezing tips
  • Reheating tips
  • Recipe tips and tricks
  • ​Health benefits of mung beans
  • Frequently asked question
  • More easy Indian dal recipes
  • More mung bean recipes
  • Recipe

What is sabut moong ki dal?

Sabut moong ki dal is Indian style mung bean curry that is made with whole mung beans.

In Indian cooking, mung beans are used in 3 different forms:

  1. Sabut moong (Whole mung bean with skin) – Green
  2. Dali/ chilka moong ( split mung bean with skin)- Green and yellow mixed
  3. Dhooli moong (split mung bean without skin)- Yellow
Three types of mung beans kept on a white tray.

They all are used to make lentil curries but with a slight difference in their stages of processing, their taste changes completely.

For this recipe, we need whole mung beans.

What goes in this mung bean curry?

Ingredients for sabut moong dal labelled

Ingredient notes

  • Mung beans: To make this curried mung beans, use whole mung bean which is also called sabut moong or green gram. You can easily find it in an Indian grocery store or online.
  • Tomato: Use a juicy red variety.
  • Cooking oil: Use any cooking oil of your choice. Non-vegans may also use ghee (clarified butter)

How to make (step by step instructions)?

collage of images of steps 1 to 4 of mung bean curry

Steps 1 and 2: Wash mung beans and soak in water for at least an hour.

Step 3: After an hour, put the soaked beans in a pressure cooker.

Step 4: Add water, a dash of salt, and turmeric powder.

collage of images of steps 5 to 8 of mung bean curry

Steps 5 and 6: Put on the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on a medium flame till around 4 whistles. Switch off the stove and allow the pressure to get released naturally before opening the lid which will take around 10 minutes.

Step 7: Heat oil in a cooking pot and add cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter.

Step 8: Add chopped garlic and cook until its raw smell goes away.

collage of images of steps 9 to 12 of mung bean curry

Step 9: Add chopped onion. Cook until the onion turns brown.

Step 10: Add coriander powder and red chili powder. Mix and saute for around 30 seconds.

Step 11: Add chopped tomatoes, green chili peppers, and some salt (remember that we have also added some salt while cooking mung beans, so add in this step carefully).

Step 12: Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy.

collage of images of steps 13 to 16 of mung bean curry

Step 13: Add cooked beans.

Step 14: Add chopped ginger and cilantro.

Step 15: If the curry is too thick, add more boiling water. Cook for around 2 minutes and then switch off the stove.

Step 16: Add fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro.

Your Indian mung bean curry is ready to be served!

Green mung bean curry garnished with salad served in a white bowl.

How to serve?

Curried mung beans can be enjoyed in a lot of different ways. I am sharing some of the ideas below:

  • Serve it with steamed rice, jeera rice, or any other rice dish of choice. For a complete Indian meal, also serve a vegetable dish like bhindi masala, or aloo baingan, and a salad like kachumber salad, on the side.
  • You can also have it with roti or any other Indian bread.
  • It can also be enjoyed as a hearty mung bean soup. If you wish, you can blend it to serve as a soup.
  • The leftover moong dal can be kneaded with some whole wheat flour to make dal paratha (a type of Indian flat bread).

How to store?

To store, allow reaching room temperature and then shift it to an air-tight container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days.

Freezing tips

This dal freezes well. Freeze in a freezer-safe container or zip lock bag and freeze for up to 4 months.

You can also freeze the plain cooked beans without onion and tomato mix. Before serving make a fresh onion-tomato masala (curry base) and then add thawed beans to it.

Reheating tips

To re-heat either microwave for around a minute, stir, and then microwave again until evenly heated. If required add some hot water before putting it in the microwave.

To reheat on the stovetop, transfer to a cooking pot, add boiling water, cover the pot and cook for a few minutes.

For a fresher taste, heat around a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and chopped garlic. Saute until they turn brown and then pour the oil over re-heated bean curry. Mix. Garnish with chopped cilantro and ginger.

Recipe tips and tricks

  • Sometimes, you may find debris in packed lentils and beans. Before washing, spread the beans on a plate, quickly check and remove the debris, if any.
  • The number of whistles required to cook beans in a pressure cooker may vary depending upon a lot of factors like the capacity of the pressure cooker you are using, the quality of beans, how long have you soaked them, and even the altitude of the place you are cooking. Start with 4 whistles on medium flame, if they are not cooked, cook for another 1-2 whistles.
  • If you don't have time to soak mung beans, you can cook them directly but increase the no. of whistles to around 6.
  • If adding more water to adjust the consistency of cooked beans, add hot water.

​Health benefits of mung beans

  • Moong dal has a very high significance in Ayurveda. It’s considered the easiest legume to digest.
  • As per Ayurveda, this lentil cleanses the body by removing the deepest toxins, manages the water retention of the body, and helps in weight loss too.
  • Mung bean has a high protein content, so if you are looking for plant-based sources of protein, you must include it in your diet.
  • It’s also considered a rich source of potassium, magnesium, and fibers.

Frequently asked question

Do you need to soak mung beans before cooking?

Soaking depends on which type of beans you are using. In this recipe, whole mung bean is used which needs at least 4 hours of soaking, if cooking in a regular pot. If you are cooking it in a pressure cooker or instant pot then soaking is not necessary but it’s good if you soak it for at least 1 hour, for faster cooking.
In its split forms, mung bean doesn’t need soaking in advance.

Is mung bean gluten-free?

Yes, mung bean is gluten-free.

Can this curry be made without a pressure cooker?

Yes, you can make sabut moong dal without a pressure cooker too. For cooking it in a regular pot the process will remain the same, just add more water around 7-8 cups and cook covered until the beans get nicely cooked.

Also if cooking in a regular pot, it's best to soak the beans for at least 4 hours.

An instant pot can also be used to make this curry.

More easy Indian dal recipes

If you are looking for ideas to add legumes to your diet, don't miss checking the following Indian curry recipes:

  1. Chana Dal
  2. Sabut Masoor ki dal (Brown lentil-Indian style)
  3. Dal Makhani
  4. Urad chana dal
  5. Dal palak

More mung bean recipes

If you are looking for ideas to add mung bean to your diet in different forms, the following easy mung bean recipes are worth checking:

  1. Banh bot loc chay- yellow mung beans
  2. Moong dal khichdi- yellow mung beans
  3. Bread upma- mung bean sprouts
  4. Avocado and mung bean sprouts sandwich-mung bean sprouts
  5. Mung bean sprouts raita- mung bean sprouts
moong dal served in a white bowl with rice and salad.

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Recipe

Whole mung bean curry in a white bowl with rice and salad

Green moong bean curry (Green moong dal)

Green mung bean curry, also known as Green moong dal or Sabut moong dal is a vegan and gluten-free recipe from India. This light and simple dish is made using whole mung bean (green gram) which has a very high significance in the ayurvedic diet.
4.37 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 159kcal
Author: Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker/ instant pot

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked whole mung beans green moong dal
  • 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
  • 1 large tomato finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ginger finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
  • 1-2 green chilies finely chopped, adjust to taste
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ tablespoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder optional
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil non vegans may use ghee (clarified butter) in this recipe
  • 5 cups water adjust to get the required consistency.

Instructions

  • Wash and soak the whole mung beans in water for at least an hour.
  • After an hour, put the soaked beans into a pressure cooker. Add around 5 cups of water, a dash of salt, and turmeric powder. Mix. Put on the lid and cook on medium flame till 5 whistles.
  • Heat oil in a cooking pot. Add cumin seeds, and saute for a few seconds or until they become fragrant.
  • Add garlic and cook until its raw smell goes away.
  • Add chopped onion. Cook until it starts turning brown.
  • Add coriander powder and red chili powder. Saute for around 30 seconds.
  • Next, add tomatoes, green chilies, and some salt. Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy.
  • Pour cooked beans, chopped ginger, and cilantro. Mix. If the curry is too thick, add some boiling water and then cook for around 2 minutes. Switch off the stove.
  • Finally, add lime juice and more chopped cilantro.

Notes

  • Sometimes, you may find debris in packed lentils and beans. Before washing, spread them on a plate, quickly check and remove the debris, if any.
  • The no. of whistles required to cook beans in a pressure cooker may vary depending upon a lot of factors like the capacity of the pressure cooker you are using, the quality of beans, how long have you soaked them, and even the altitude of the place you are cooking. Start with 4 whistles on medium flame, if they are not cooked, cook for another 1-2 whistles.
  • If you don't have time to soak mung beans, you can cook them directly but increase the no. of whistles to around 6.
  • If adding more water to adjust the consistency of cooked beans, add hot water.
  • More recipe tips and tricks are given within the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 534mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Tag me on instagram #greenbowl2soul

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jen @ Jenron Designs

    December 20, 2019 at 3:31 pm

    5 stars
    I had to check out your recipe I love these flavors and can not wait to give this one a try.

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      December 20, 2019 at 6:55 pm

      Thanks Jen.

      Reply
  2. Sadie

    December 20, 2019 at 10:51 am

    Wow this recipe looks delicious! I also never knew all of the health benefits of the mung bean, or that there were different ways that it comes at the store. I want to try this recipe and try to incorporate more easy digesting meals into my regular diet. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      December 20, 2019 at 10:56 am

      Thanks a lot Sadie.

      Reply
  3. Adventure Aficionado

    December 20, 2019 at 7:05 am

    I love any dal, especially moong dal! And it is filled with protein so it makes for a perfect healthy meal to have in the day. And it is great to make for a group of friends or for a party, since most people enjoy it too!

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      December 20, 2019 at 10:47 am

      Thanks a lot.

      Reply
  4. Paris

    December 19, 2019 at 11:37 pm

    Looks amazing! Good 'ol comfort food; especially now that it is winter time. Yum yum!

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      December 20, 2019 at 10:48 am

      Thanks Paris 🙂

      Reply
  5. Aryanne Padilha

    December 19, 2019 at 10:00 pm

    This totally had my mouth watering, I can't wait to try it. I love lentils, so healthy and this is perfect for the cold days! Will make it for sure!

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      December 19, 2019 at 10:25 pm

      Thanks a lot Aryanne, hope you enjoy it.

      Reply

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Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Vandana Chauhan and I am on a mission to explore vegan/ vegetarian recipes from around the world. I am delighted to welcome you to join me on this exciting journey.

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