The humble moong dal (also known an mung bean or green gram) is the most valued of all pulses and legumes in the traditional system of healthcare that I practice known as Ayurveda.
Moong dal is highly balancing and comforting.
It's also the easiest to digest of all legumes. This is good news if you’ve had trouble digesting beans and lentils in the past.
If this sounds like you, consider trying moong dal, because the health benefits of consuming legumes are too numerous to be missed.
Jump to:
- What is Moong Dal?
- Health Benefits
- 1. Simple Moong Dal Recipe
- 2. Soothing Mung Bean Dal in Buttermilk Curry
- 3. Khichdi With Cauliflower and Green Pepper
- 4. Instant Pot Millet Khichdi
- 5. South Indian Sambar
- 6. Healing Mung Bean Soup (Moong Soup)
- 7. Moong Dal Payasam (Instant Pot)
- . 8. Sprouted Mung Bean Sauté With Coconut (Upkari)
- 9. Mung Bean Sprouts Salad With Green Mango
- 10. Sookhi Moong Dal
What is Moong Dal?
Moong dal is the hulled and split form of the popular mung bean.
Mung beans are tiny in size and moss-green colored, while moong dal is yellow.
Despite the difference in name and appearance, they come from the same plant.
Health Benefits
Like all legumes, moong dal is high in fiber, a good source of vegetarian protein, and low in fat.
Moong dal is particularly high in soluble fiber, which is the type of fiber that is sticky, mucilaginous, and gel-like. You might have noticed this texture before on really well cooked oats or cooked beans after they cool.
Insoluble fiber is very soothing and healing for the digestive tract, and supportive for gut health.
According to Ayurveda, balanced digestion is essential for overall health, and moong dal is viewed as the easiest to digest and most healing of all the legumes.
In fact, since easy-to-digest foods are so valued on an Ayurvedic cleanse, it is not surprising that moong dal is the key recommended food for a cleanse.
Would you like to learn how to cook moong dal, so you can experience the health benefits for yourself?
That's why we're here. I hope you love the healthy recipes below as much as we do. Pick your favorite, and start cooking! You can totally do this!!
1. Simple Moong Dal Recipe
This recipe for moong dal is the simplest recipe I could design for you, while still keeping it authentic with fresh ginger, turmeric, red chili, lemon, and cilantro.
The overall flavor of the dish is mildly spicy from the ginger, turmeric, and red chili, earthy from the moong dal and cumin seeds, and lemony from the fresh lemon. I want you to enjoy this dish so much that you cook it weekly, and use it to improve your overall health.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
2. Soothing Mung Bean Dal in Buttermilk Curry
Mung bean dal in buttermilk curry is easy to make, and eating this dish may feel like giving your body and mind a calming spa treatment.
This simple dish is really easy to digest, which gives your internal organs a break, and a chance to heal.
Pair this curry with some sautéed greens and basmati rice, and your satisfying vegetarian dinner is ready.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
3. Khichdi With Cauliflower and Green Pepper
Khichdi is a complete vegetarian protein in a single pot, and one of India's most ancient foods. But this one pot meal is also incredibly delicious and satisfying, and there are endless variations of the dish.
The basic recipe consists of one part grain, one part bean, your choice of spices, optional vegetables, and a good amount of ghee, which is India’s special clarified butter.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
4. Instant Pot Millet Khichdi
Millet khichdi is an Indian version of risotto made with millet and lentils. This hearty one-pot meal is made in an Instant Pot and is loaded with your choice of vegetables.
This healthy and nutritious vegan dish is an excellent substitute for traditional rice khichdi.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
5. South Indian Sambar
Sambar is a South Indian and Sri Lankan dish that is commonly served for breakfast. It is a stew prepared with lentils, vegetables, spices, and a souring agent.
Sambar can be eaten any time of the day. It can also be reduced further for a thicker curry paired with rice and other side dishes.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
6. Healing Mung Bean Soup (Moong Soup)
A simple, healing mung bean soup flavored with the everyday Indian spices of turmeric, cumin, asafetida, and ginger, cooked in a little ghee.
This handful of ingredients combine together to create a symphony of balanced flavor. Seriously. Have this soup and you need nothing else.
Mung bean soup is especially good if you want something easy to digest, such as if your tummy feels sensitive, or you are having a late dinner and you want something light.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
7. Moong Dal Payasam (Instant Pot)
Moong dal payasam, also known as kheer, is a simple and delicious South Indian sweet dish made with petite yellow lentils. This traditional dish is made with coconut milk and jaggery for sweetness.
This refined sugar-free dessert comes together quickly in the Instant Pot. Moong dal, jaggery, and coconut milk are the main ingredients for this recipe. To add a nutty flavor and texture, cashews, raisins, and dried coconut slices are used.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
. 8. Sprouted Mung Bean Sauté With Coconut (Upkari)
This sprouted mung bean sauté is a pleasantly spiced side dish (or main course if you are vegetarian) filled with plenty of protein and healthy nutrients.
It takes just a few minutes to prepare. Once you’ve got the sprouted mung beans ready then all you need to do is add the spices and sauté.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
9. Mung Bean Sprouts Salad With Green Mango
Mung bean sprouts salad is nourishing, light, bright, exciting—kind of like salsa—and perfect as a snack or side dish in spring and summer.
If you enjoy eating fresh and light plant-based foods, this salad can add pizzaz to any plate, or even satisfy as a snack or light meal on its own.
Click on the recipe below to learn how to make mung bean sprouts from scratch.
>>Click here to get the RECIPE
10. Sookhi Moong Dal
Sookhi Moong Dal is a dry preparation of yellow lentils.
To make this dry moong dal, the water to dal ratio must be perfect, as well as the cooking time. If you don't get it right, you'll end up with mushy dal.
Usually lentils are made in a soupy consistency, but this recipe is a dry moong dal, which serves as a unique snack.
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