Whole Green Moong Dal (Hesarukalu Palya in Kannada) is a nutritious, high-protein curry made with green lentils (mung beans). This delicious dish can be prepared in an Instant Pot or a stovetop pressure cooker and pairs well with roti, chapati, or rice.
Today, I'm sharing a North Karnataka-style whole green moong dal recipe (also known as Hesaru kalu palya) that I grew up eating regularly. Hesarukalu means moong bean, and palya means sabji/curry). My mom made it at least once a week, serving it with jolada rotti (jowar roti), yennegai, peanut chutney powder, jhunka vadi, and some raw onions for lunch.
This green moong curry can be made dry or with gravy—today, I’m sharing the gravy-style version made in the pressure cooker. Being protein-rich, moong beans make a perfect addition to a vegetarian diet. If you love moong dal, you might also enjoy sprouted moong salad, palak moong dal dosa, or moong sprouts curry.
I have made this recipe by soaking moong beans overnight, but if you don’t have time to soak lentils, you can still make this dish by setting the Instant Pot timer to 15 minutes with Quick Pressure Release. For ¾ cup of dry green lentils, add 3 to 3.5 cups of water.
You can also enjoy this green moong dal as a soup with a piece of bread for a hearty meal. You can also add carrots, broccoli, or sweet potato along with the lentils before pressure cooking. For extra flavor, swap water with vegetable broth. Just like green lentil soup, stir in some baby spinach or kale at the end to make it nutrient-rich.
Interested in the pulses used in Indian cooking? Take a look at my detailed guide on Indian Pulses!
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Ingredients for Green Moong Lentils
- Whole Green Moong Dal: I used dried whole green moong dal (mung beans). You can easily find them in Indian grocery stores or on Amazon.
- Onion, green chili, garlic, and ginger: I used finely chopped onions, green chilies, and garlic-ginger paste.
- Tomato: I used Roma tomatoes. You can also use canned tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes.
- Spices: I used cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala as dry spices.
How to Make Green Moong Dal in an Instant Pot
Firstly, rinse and soak ¾ cup of whole green moong dal overnight (or for about 4-5 hours in hot water).
Press Saute on the Instant Pot. Add 2 tablespoons oil, and once it's hot, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
Add 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste and sauté until it turns fragrant.
Next, add 1 large onion (finely chopped), and 2-3 green chili and allow to saute for 2-3 minutes until translucent - stir regularly.
Then add 2 medium tomatoes (finely chopped), and dry spices like ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon garam masala (optional), and cook for 1-2 minutes, till the tomato turns soft.
Now add the soaked moong dal, 2-2.5 cups water, and salt; give a stir.
Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to Manual (High Pressure) and set the timer to 3 minutes (for firmer moong beans) or 5 minutes (for softer, broken-up moong beans).
Once the pot beeps, manually do a quick pressure release (QR).
Lastly, carefully remove the lid away from you. Mash a few moong beans with the back of the ladle or spoon. This makes the curry thick and creamy.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of coriander leaves and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Adjust the consistency of the dal at this point.
Serve Instant Pot whole green moong dal hot with any Indian flatbread, steamed rice, roti, quinoa.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same steps as Instant Pot. Just cook the green lentils on a stovetop pressure cooker for 2 whistles on medium-high heat, then set the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Pressure cooker green moong dal is ready.
Stovetop Pot/Pan Method:
Use a thick-bottomed, deep pot or pan. Follow the same steps as Instant Pot. Add the soaked green moong dal, 3-3.5 cups of water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the green lentils on medium-high flame till done (approximately 15-20 minutes).
Serving Suggestions
Serve green moong dal hot with chapati, plain paratha, basmati rice, or quinoa, along with peanut chutney powder and sweet corn pomegranate kosambari.
Tips for Mung Bean Curry
- If you don't have time to soak lentils. You can still make this dish by setting the timer to 15 minutes on the INSTANT POT with (Quick Pressure Release), and for ¾ cup of dry green lentils, add 3 cups of water.
- If your green moong dal is watery, you can turn on the saute and cook for another 2-3 minutes in the end.
Variations
- No onion/no garlic variation: You can skip the onions and replace garlic with a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
- Vegetables: You can also add veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots to this curry.
- Greens: You can also add finely chopped spinach, kale, or methi leaves after the pressure cooking for extra nutrition.
- If you don't have garam masala, add half a teaspoon each of cumin powder and coriander powder.
More Instant Pot Indian Lentil Recipes
Whole Green Moong Dal - Instant Pot & Stovetop
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole green mung dal
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 3 green chilies split in half
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 2-2.5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- coriander leaves for garnish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Spices
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to your preference)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Firstly, rinse and soak moong dal overnight (or for about 4-5 hours in hot water).
- Press Saute on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it's hot add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, saute till the ginger-garlic turns aromatic.
- Next add onions, green chili and allow to saute for 2-3 minutes until translucent - stir regularly.
- Then add tomatoes, dry spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and cook for 1-2 minutes, till tomato turns soft.
- Now add soaked moong dal, water, and salt give a stir.
- Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to manual (High Pressure) and set the timer to 3 minutes (for firmer moong beans) or 5 minutes(for softer, broken up moong beans).
- Once the pot beeps, manually do a quick pressure release (QR).
- Lastly, remove the lid away from you. Mash a few moong beans with the back of the ladle or spoon. This makes the curry thick and creamy.Next, add coriander leaves and lemon juice. Also, adjust the consistency of the dal at this point.
- Whole green moong dal is ready and serve hot with any flatbread, boiled rice, roti, quinoa or eat as a soup.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker:
- Follow the same steps as Instant Pot. Just cook the green lentils on a stovetop pressure cooker for 2 whistles on medium-high heat, then set the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Pressure cooker green moong dal is ready.
Stovetop Pot/Pan Method:
- Use a thick-bottomed, deep pot or pan. Follow the same steps as Instant Pot. Add the soaked green moong dal, 3-3.5 cups of water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the green lentils on medium-high flame till done (approximately 15-20 minutes).
Notes
- If you don't have time to soak lentils. You can still make this dish by setting the timer to 15 minutes on the INSTANT POT with (Quick Pressure Release), and for ¾ cup of dry green lentils, add 3 cups of water.
- If you don't have garam masala, add half a teaspoon each of cumin powder and coriander powder.
- If your green moong dal is watery, you can turn on the saute and cook for another 2-3 minutes in the end.
- No onion/no garlic variation: You can skip the onions and replace garlic with a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
Nutrition
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Anonymous
Tried it came perfect!
bhavana
thankyou!
Christine Dycio
QUESTION:
Do you use the water that you soaked the lentils in for the water used in the recipe? I am increasing the recipe to 4 servings. In the original amount recipe (3 servings) it looks like you use 1/4 water to every 1/4 cup of lentils. Is that a good ratio? Thanks
bhavana
Hi Christine ,in the recipe i have used 3/4 cup of dried mung beans and soaked for atleast 4-5 hours (fyi I dint used soaked water)..and added 2.5 cups of water while pressure cooking.
For 4 servings use 1 cup dry moong beans and 3 cups of water.Even if you add extra water no worries,you can press saute after pressure cooking and dry up a bit to get your consistency.Let me know if you have more questions.
Another Method:
If you dont have time to soak lentils,You can still make this dish by setting timer to 15 minutes on the INSTANTPOT with (Quick Pressure Release) and for 3/4 cup of dry green lentils add 3 cups of water.
Kathy
When you say “3 split green chilies,” what kind of chilies do you mean? What size? Could I use jalapeños, or were you thinking of something hotter?
bhavana
I have used 3 thai chillies here for the recipe.But you can add jalapenos according to your spice intake level.
babloo
seems a perfect dish, healthy and tasty. cheers!
bhavana
Thank you ! Hope you tried this recipe.