Another addition to my staple meals. Washed Moong ki daal or Split green gram without skin was always sick peoples food for me as I was growing up. I wanted arhar/toor/pigeon pea lentils on my plate every afternoon. How boring can that be. Ah, but my Mother would make all varieties of lentils nevertheless and I had to eat or go hungry. Wonder when but I really started liking her version of moong daal by the time I was a teenager.
Moong daal (washed), tomato and Coriander leaves
Very simple to make. This is my second entry to food during pregnancy hosted by simpeindianfood. Just hearsay maybe but after my son was born, I had eaten a lot of moong dal , just like soup to aid lactation. More than anything, it would help fill me up with something nutritious as I would be always hungry those days:).
The recipe:
- Moong Daal 1 cup
- Oil 1/2 tsp.
- Cumin seeds/ Jeera 1/2 tsp.
- Turmeric/Haldi 1/2 tsp.
- Tomato 1 big chopped small
- water 3 cups
- Salt to taste
Tempering:
- Asafoetida 1/4 tsp.
- Cumin seeds 2 tsp.
- Chilli powder 1/2 tsp.
- Oil/Ghee 2 tsp.
Garnish:
- Cilantro/Coriander/Dhaniya leaves 1/2 a bunch chopped fine
I always like to temper my daals before I put the daal in the pan. So first heat the 1/2 tsp. oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and turmeric. Once they start to to brown a little, add the moong daal and 3 cups of water. Add the tomato and salt. Now cook the daal without covering for 30-40 min’s on medium flame. Keep stirring in between to avoid the daal from settling at the bottom and getting burnt. The idea is not to mush the daal too much and that is why its not covered. Daal when ready, is tender but not mashed and consistency is thin. In case the daal thickens, please add some water. This moong ki daal tastes great when it is of watery consistency.
The main thing is the final tempering. Heat oil or ghee (ah! if you can indulge;) ) and add 2 tsp. cumin seeds, chilli powder and asafoetida. Add it to the hot daal and cover the daal for a couple of minutes so that the vapors stay in the daal. Add coriander leaves and enjoy! Cilantro adds a lot of flavor to this daal.
Moong ki Daal
Very simple to make but tastes really good. Moong ki daal goes best with hot fresh rotis and also with rice.
Moong ki daal, mixed vegetables and roti……tasty, simple meal
This is the only way I enjoyed eating Moong ki daal until I came across Indira’s beerakayapesara-pappu-kootu. This is a very different taste of moong daal but delicious. So, go ahead and enjoy moong ki daal.
चर्चे चौके के Charche Chauke Ke 
