Two delicious ways to enjoy moong dal, both full of flavor and comforting. One version features roasted tomatoes and garlic for a rich, vibrant dish, while the other highlights fragrant fenugreek leaves (methi) for a fresh, green touch. Start with a base of cooked moong dal, then choose one of the two options—or make both.
Moong Dal (Tomato Garlic and Methi)
The humble Indian dal is so much loved worldwide, with as many recipes for it as there are families in the Indian subcontinent. Moong dal, like its popular counterparts masoor and chana dal, is a staple in many kitchens.
In this recipe, I’ve created two distinct versions of moong dal. The first combines the concentrated, smoky flavors of roasted tomatoes and garlic, resulting in a hearty and delicious dal. The second version features fresh fenugreek leaves, adding a green hue and a fragrant, slightly bitter note. Ginger, garam masala, and green chilies further enhance its flavor, giving it a restaurant-style touch.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Distinct Flavors: Enjoy two unique takes on moong dal. Adding oven roasted tomatoes and garlic is a modern twist to the traditional dal.
- Versatile: Make one or both options with a single base, adding variety to your table.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Prepare parts of the dish ahead of time, or make the dal entirely, and simply add fresh seasoning before serving.
Key Ingredient & Prep Notes
- Moong Dal: Yellow, oval-shaped, split and dehusked moong dal. Easily found at Indian grocery stores. Whole dehusked moong dal also works.
- Onions: I use yellow onions, but Spanish onions or shallots will also work.
- Dried Red Chilies: Choose according to your spice preference. I use dried Kashmiri chilies which are milder than regular dried red chilies. Button chilies add a medium spiciness and visual appeal.
- Curry Leaves: Essential for authentic Indian dal, these are available fresh at Indian stores. If you don’t use curry leaves often, you can freeze them by placing the leaves in an ice cube tray, covering them with water, and freezing. When needed, simply thaw the ice cubes to get fresh curry leaves. Alternatively, you can microwave the leaves to dry them, as recommended in this mirchi ka salan recipe.
- Kashmiri Chili Powder: I love using Kashmiri chili powder in most of my Indian recipes. It has a lovely vibrant red color, nice aroma but not very spicy. Substitute with regular chili powder for more spice.
- Paprika: This isn’t a typical ingredient in traditional Indian recipes, but I’ve used it here for the seasoning oil since there's already plenty of chili in the dal. Paprika adds a bright red color without extra heat, but you can substitute it with Kashmiri chili powder.
- Ghee: Adds rich, nutty flavor, elevating the dal to a restaurant-quality dish.
Tomato Garlic Option
- Tomatoes: I use roma, grape, or cherry tomatoes, as they roast well and concentrate into a thicker consistency.
- Garlic: I buy large, loose bulbs from the USA as they are fresh, denser, and more flavorful. The garlic imported from China is often bleached.
Methi Option
- Fenugreek Leaves: I prefer to use fresh fenugreek leaves which are available at Indian grocery stores, but frozen is okay too. Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) can be used with slightly different results. It will still be delicious, but will not have the freshness of methi leaves.
- Green Chilies: Remove seeds for a milder dish.
- Asafetida: Optional, but adds a distinct flavor.
Step By Step Visual Overview
Here are step-by-step photos showing how to make moong dal. Full printable recipe with measurements are below at the end of the blog post.
Cook Moong Dal
- Cook dal with onions, turmeric, and water until mushy. Choose one of the two options below.
Tomato Garlic Moong Dal
- Roast: Prepare and roast tomatoes and garlic. Cool, then mash garlic.
- Season: Heat oil, add spices, aromatics and cook. Add roasted tomatoes and garlic. Mash coarsely and cook.
- Simmer: Stir tomato-garlic mixture and some cilantro into dal, and simmer briefly. Add lemon juice, adjust seasoning.
- Finish: Heat ghee, stir in paprika, and pour over dal.
Methi Moong Dal
- Sauté: Heat oil, crackle cumin, and sauté onions until translucent.
- Spice: Add garlic, ginger, chilies, and spices; cook briefly.
- Cook: Stir in fenugreek leaves, cook until soft.
- Simmer: Stir onion-fenugreek mixture, lemon juice and some cilantro into dal, simmer briefly. Adjust seasoning.
- Finish: Heat ghee, fry chilies, stir in asafetida, and pour over dal.
My Top Tips
- Double Up: If making both variations, double the base dal recipe.
- Perfect Consistency: The consistency of dal should be thick and saucy. So be sure to cook dal until it breaks down and becomes mushy, but don't overcook. We dont want it to become like a puree either.
- Foam Control: Skim off any foam initially, then cover partially. Add turmeric after foam subsides. For more ways to control the boiling over of dal, check our spinach dal recipe.
- Green moong dal: To preserve the lovely green color of the methi leaves, avoid overcooking them.
How to Serve
Serve with rice or naan, pappadum, and pickles. Pair with kachumber salad or aloo gobi for a complete meal. It will be amazing with bhuna gosht or meat cutlets which also adds more protein.
Variations
This lentil curry is gluten free, vegetarian, egg free, nut free and soy free.
- Vegan/Dairy-Free: Substitute ghee with coconut or vegetable oil.
- Tangy: To make it more tangy, add dry mango powder, lemon juice, tamarind, or raw mango.
- Umami taste: Use chicken or meat stock to cook the dal instead of water. For a vegetarian option try mushroom stock or add nutritional yeast.
Nutrition Notes
Moong dal is rich in plant-based protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and various minerals. It is naturally low in fat and sodium. The addition of tomatoes, fenugreek, and other vegetables increases the plant nutrient content, making this dish both flavorful and nutritious.
More Indian Recipes
- Spicy Roasted Okra (roasted in oven but Indian style)
- Pumpkin Curry Recipe (with butter-chicken style sauce)
- Spicy Eggplant Side Dish (oven roasted to make big batch)
- Coconut Chicken Curry (easy, creamy and rich)
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Moong Dal Recipe (Two Ways)
Here are two flavorful and comforting ways to enjoy moong dal. One option combines roasted tomatoes and garlic for a rich, vibrant dish, while the other adds fragrant fenugreek leaves (methi) for a fresh, green twist. Start with a base of cooked moong dal, then pick your favorite—or try both!
Course :Main Course
Cuisine :Indian
Servings: 8 portions
Calories: 236kcal
Ingredients
Moong Dal (make dal and choose either tomato garlic or methi option)
- 1½ cups moong dal rinsed and soaked for 15 minutes
- 1 yellow onion small, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 4 cups water
- Salt to taste
Tomato Garlic Option
- 1 lb tomatoes roma, grape, or cherry
- 1 garlic large or 2 small heads garlic
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 5 dried red chilies
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder this is less pungent
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice optional, adjust per taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon ghee optional
- ¼ teaspoon paprika or Kashmiri chili powder
Methi Option
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 yellow onion medium, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 7 cloves garlic finely grated (2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger fresh
- 2 teaspoons chopped green chili optional
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cups fresh fenugreek leaves chopped (or ½ cup dried kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice adjust per taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon ghee optional
- 4 dried red chilies preferably button variety
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida optional
Equipment
Instructions
Cook Moong Dal
- Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear and drain in colander. In a medium pot, combine moong dal, chopped onions, turmeric, and water. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and cook for about 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue to cook until lentils become a bit mushy, reaching a thick, sauce-like consistency. Choose either the tomato garlic or methi option below.
Tomato Garlic Moong Dal
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut tomatoes into quarters (or halves for grape/cherry tomatoes) and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prepare the garlic by peeling off the papery layers and trimming the top. Place the garlic on a small piece of foil, drizzle 5 teaspoons of oil on the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon on the garlic. Wrap the garlic in foil, and place it on one side of the baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven until the tomatoes are soft and slightly browned and the garlic is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze the garlic pulp and mash with a fork.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, when the seeds start to crackle, add dried red chillies and curry leaves, and sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Add the roasted tomatoes, mashed garlic, red chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric. Mash to a coarse consistency and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir the tomato-garlic mixture and half the cilantro into the cooked dal. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, then add lemon juice and adjust seasoning.
- Transfer the dal to a serving dish. Heat ghee in a small pan at medium heat. Turn off the stove, stir in paprika, and pour over the dal. Serve with steamed rice.
Methi Moong Dal
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add chopped onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add grated garlic, ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add green chilies, ground coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, ground cumin, and turmeric. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the spices. Add chopped fenugreek leaves and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir the onion-fenugreek mixture, lemon juice, and half the cilantro into the cooked dal. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and adjust seasoning.
- Transfer the dal to a serving dish. Heat ghee in a small pan at medium heat, add button chilies, fry for 1 minute. Turn off the stove and stir in asafetida. Pour the seasoned ghee over the dal. Serve with steamed rice.
Notes
- Tip: Dal will continue to thicken even after turning off the heat. So, remove from the stove before it reaches the desired consistency.
- Meal Prep and Storage: Make the dal base, roasted tomatoes and garlic a day ahead. Finish the remaining steps before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or freeze for up to two months. Reheat dal, adding some water to adjust consistency.
- Instant Pot: Prepare seasoning mixture (with tomato-garlic or methi) in saute mode. Add dal and cook under pressure for 10 to 12 minutes (about 8 whistles). Release the pressure naturally. The lentils should be cooked very soft. Drizzle seasoning oil on top (tadka).
- Double Up: If making both variations, double the base dal recipe.
- Nutrition facts are based on methi moong dal, excluding added salt.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Portion | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 233IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 271mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?I would love to know about it. Tag me @thedeliciouscrescent.
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