Mung Bean Dal & Pigeon Pea Stew ( Vegan & Gluten-free)

A little guide to Indian lentils, beans, and peas:

Red lentils are also called Pink or orange lentils or Masoor Dal and they are basically whole red lentils that have been skinned/dehusked and split.

Whole Red Lentils are also called Indian brown Lentils or Sabut Masoor. Pictured below. Whole Red lentils can be substituted with any other brown variety, Spanish or other without much of a difference in the method of cooking.

Mung beans/Moong Beans are also available whole, as well as split (which is green) and skinned and split (which is yellow). I ran out of the split types but will add the pictures after my trip to the Indian store.



Chana Dal (split chickpea) is skinned and split Bengal gram/black chickpea. It is easy to confuse these split chickpeas with pigeon peas, but Chana dal is fatter, with a rough surface. It also takes longer to cook and they taste nuttier than pigeon pea. 



Skinned and Split Pigeon Pea or Toor Dal or Arhar Dal (below) is more popular in India than the whole variety. 
There are lots more types of lentils, split and whole and they all can be used to make stews/dal/soup.

Ingredients for this Mung Dal recipe:

• Dried Pigeon Peas are a good source of protein, dietary fiber, and various vitamins: thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese.
• Yellow Mung Beans are one of the best plant-based sources of protein. They have a slightly sweet taste and are sold either fresh, as sprouts or as dried beans. They aren’t very common in the US but can be purchased from most bulk stores and at health food stores.

Substitutions for Mung Dal:

• For the chili garlic paste, you can use red chili powder instead of soaked chiles. You can make a bigger batch in a food processor.
• If you want a thicker mung dal, add only 1,5 cups of water to the beans/peas.
• Make this mung dal recipe oil-free by dry roasting the spices, then grinding them.

How to make Mung Dal

1. In a deep pan or pressure cooker, add oil and heat on medium and add mustard seeds. Wait for them to sputter. Now, add in asafoetida, curry leaves/bay leaf and mix. Cook for half a minute before adding onions and ginger and sauteeing them until translucent.
2. Add your homemade chili garlic paste (recipe see below), as well as coriander powder and cook for a minute.
3. Now, toss in the tomato, and turmeric and simmer for 2-3 minutes until tomatoes get mushy. At this point, you can add chopped up vegetables, other spices, garam masala/curry powder.
4. Drain the lentils and add them to the pan along with salt, and water and mix well. Pressure cook for 1-2 whistle or cook covered on low for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are tender and mushy.
5. Adjust salt, spices and water for consistency. Bring to a boil and serve. Serve Mung Dal hot topped with chopped cilantro leaves or red chili flakes, with Roti-Indian flatbread, Rice, dry veggie subzis or as a soup with garlic bread/pita/Naan.

How to make Chili Garlic paste:

1. Soak a whole dry red chili pepper in warm water for 10 minutes.
2. With a mortar and pestle, pound 5-6 cloves of garlic with the soaked chili and a few drops of vinegar.
3. You can also use red chili powder and make a bigger batch in a food processor.
   
   

Can Mung Dal be made in advance?

More authentic Indian Dal recipes from the blog:

• Instant Pot Eggplant Sambar
• Spiced Lentil Chard Soup
• Instant Pot Aloo Palak Dal
• Chana Dal Veggie Soup
• Punjabi Dal Fry Recipe
  

This Mung Dal (Moong Daal) recipe is being shared at Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Ricki’s Wellness Weekend.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2013 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness in October 2019.