If you're looking for something comforting & soul-satisfying, then this is a recipe for you. Instant Pot Moong Dal recipe is one of the most popular and easy-to-make recipes. It is made by pressure cooking yellow split lentils (moong dal) in onion-tomato masala with some spices in Instant Pot.
Moong Dal Tadka forms an excellent accompaniment for the staple roti, sabzi (Indian bread with veggies). And it tastes great with rice. So, it is one of the recipes you think of when you feel Ghar ka Khana (home-cooked meal). It is full of nutrition and also easy to digest. So, it's often recommended to people suffering from cold or cough.
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I love it because of its taste. And also because it is easy to cook. Yellow Moong Dal Recipe is always an easy option to pick when you're in a hurry or not in the mood to cook anything elaborate.
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The post contains Helpful Tips & Tricks to make the delicious Moon Dal Recipe. But if you're in a hurry, you can also click "Jump to Recipe' under the Heading to go directly to the Recipe Card, or you can also click Recipe Card from the Table of Contents above.
💭WHAT IS MOONG DAL TADKA/ YELLOW LENTIL SOUP?
Moong Dal Tadka is a lentil recipe made with Moong Dal (Split Yellow Lentil). It has a soup-type consistency, and it is made by adding boiled lentils in onion tomato masala. A tempering of cumin seeds, garlic, curry leaves, and whole red chili is added to make it more flavorful.
This Yellow Lentil Soup is so easy to make that you just dump all the ingredients in your Instant Pot and let it take charge. It takes about 20 minutes to cook. I put it in Instant Pot and busy myself with other household chores. In 20 minutes, the dal is ready to be served. So easy and convenient.
🥘INGREDIENTS
- LENTILS: This is a basic recipe and you can use any lentils for it. But the best flavor comes from Yellow Split Lentils (Or Yellow Moong Dal). Though if you use any other lentils then time may vary. This yellow lentils is soft lentils & take only 4-5 minutes of pressure cooking.
- SPICES: You don't need a lot of spices to make this easy lentils recipe. I only use turmeric powder, red chili powder, and garam masala powder.
- TEMPERING: To enhance the flavors then you need to add tempering to the lentils. I live adding the tempering of garlic, whole red chilis, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asoefitida.
- GARNISH: Love to garnish the dal with some chopped cilantro or mint leaves.
🔪HOW TO COOK MOONG DAL TADKA IN AN INSTANT POT
STEP 1- SOAK LENTILS: First, wash the lentils until the water runs out clear. Then soak the lentils for at least 15-20 minutes. This will make it easily digestible and also reduce the cooking process.
STEP 2- MAKE TADKA: Make Tadka by first sauteing onions. Once onions change color, add tomatoes. When oil starts to separate and the mixture turns mushy, add spices (red chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder).
STEP 2- PRESSURE COOK: Add the soaked lentils in the Tadka and pressure cook for 5 minutes at a High-pressure level. Once the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally. Or you can also Quick Release after 10 minutes of NPR (Natural Pressure Release).
To make moong dal tadka you can adjust the time as per your liking. You can cook the dal for 3-5 minutes. Cook for 3 minutes, if you want lentil to hold the shape. For a little mushier texture, cook for 4 minutes. For mushier & soup type consistency, cook for 5 minutes.
STEP 3- MAKE TEMPERING: In the pan, make tempering by adding mustard seeds to the oil. Once they splutter, add cumin seeds, garlic, whole red chilis, and asafetida. Add the tempering over the cooked lentils once the garlic is golden in color.
STEP 4- ADJUST & SERVE: Lastly, adjust the seasoning if needed, and serve with rice or Indian Flatbread with some side dish.
INSTANT POT MOONG DAL USING PIP METHOD
PIP is nothing but pot in pot method. The instant pot comes in sizes ranging from 6qt to 12 qt. So when you have a big Instant Pot, you can make 2-3 food items in the same Instant Pot using small pots. You can find many accessories for Instant Pot PIP method.
When making this Moong Dal Tadka, I prefer to use the PIP method. In the main inner pot of Instant Pot, I make Moong Dal. And place a small pot on the trivet over the dal to make the rice.
So this way, my rice, and the dal get prepared simultaneously and save a lot of time. The best part of this process is that rice & dal both take 4 minutes of cooking time. And nothing is overcooked.
💭TOP TIPS
- Always soak the dal for 15-20 minutes before pressure cooking. This helps in reducing the cooking time & the lentil will also be easier to digest.
- Always use 1:3 proportion for lentils to water. That means for every 1 cup of lentil, add 3 cups of water.
- You can adjust the texture of Yellow Moong Dal Recipe by adding more water. If the lentil is too dry, add water (as needed).
- To make moong dal tadka you can adjust the time as per your liking. You can cook the dal for 3-5 minutes. Cook for 3 minutes, if you want lentil to hold the shape. For a little mushier texture, cook for 4 minutes. For mushier & soup type consistency, cook for 5 minutes.
- You can also add some tempering to enhance the flavor.
📖VARIATIONS
There are two ways you can make Instant Pot Yellow Moong Dal Tadka Fry:
- Earlier we used to have a stove-top pressure cooker, where you boil the dal in it and later on prepare tadka (onion- tomato masala) and mix it in the boiled dal. You can do the same in Instant Pot too. First boil dal, then take it out in a pan and prepare onion- tomato masala and mix it with the dal.
- Or you can prepare onion-tomato masala firts, with some spices using the Sauté function of Instant Pot. Once it is cooked, then add the dal and water and pressure cook it.
My personal favorite is the second option. It's no mess and easy as pie method. This method makes dal in Instant Pot easy, convenient, and quick.
👪SERVING SUGGESTIONS
You can eat Instant Pot Moong Dal with steamed white rice, chapati, or brown rice.
🍽STORAGE
You can store it in the refrigerator or freezer; the taste will remain the same. You can keep the leftover Moong Dal in the fridge for 3-5 days. And in the freezer in a container for 1-2 months. Before using the freezer-stored Moong Dal, just thaw and heat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stove-top until boiled.
The leftover Moong Dal is tasty, more aromatic, and tastes even more flavorful. You can also use leftover Moong Dal for making Indian Flatbread by adding it to the dough.
🧾FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Dal Tadka is usually made with Toor Dal (Arhar Dal), but you can also make it with Moong Dal, Masoor Dal, Channa Dal, etc. I like its flavor best with Moong Dal, and it goes great with rice.
This is a delicious lentil that is easy to make and healthy. You can prepare this tadka dal with less oil to make it more nutritious. It is flavorful, gluten-free, and vegan by skipping ghee.
Yes, you can use any variety of dal or lentils to make dal tadka. Though time may differ. To make chana dal or toor dal, you need to pressure cook for 15 minutes. To make Masoor Dal, you need 5 minutes of pressure cooking.
The Pot-in-pot method (or PIP) is an instant pot method of cooking 2-3 in heatproof dishes. You can cook one dish in the inner pot & add up to 2 containers to cook something else. For example, you can cook lentils in the inner pot, cook rice in one container, and use another container for cooking some dessert or side.
I usually use the pot-in-pot method to cook both rice & dal together. I add dal/lentil in the inner pot & rice in another container, pressure cook for 5 minutes. And both rice and dal cook perfectly.
But sometimes, people use ghee to make the tempering. However, I haven't used any ghee to make the tempering, so this recipe of moong dal tadka is Vegan.
🥗INDIAN DAL OR LEGUME RECIPE
- CHANA DAL KHICHDI
- SWEET POTATO & LENTIL CURRY
- TRI-COLORED SPROUTED LENTIL SOUP
- LENTIL STEW
- RAJMA MASALA
- CHICKEPAS CURRY
- MATAR CHAAT
- GREEN MOONG DAL
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Green Moong Dal Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Green Moong Dal Rinsed and soaked for at least 30 minutes. Recommended is 3-4 hours.
- 3 cups Water
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 2 small Onion chopped
- 1 cup Tomatoes chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1-2 Green Chili
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- Red Chilli Powder as per taste
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder optional
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder optional
- Cilantro to garnish
- Lemon Juice as needed
For Tempering (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 cloves Garlic chopped/sliced
- 1-2 Whole Red Chilies
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or as needed
- 1 pinch Asoefitida (Hing)
- 1 tablespoon Oil or Ghee
Instructions
- Add oil in the pressure cooker. Once hot add cumin seeds and let it splutter.
- Once the cumin seeds splutter, add chopped onions. Cook them for 3-5 minutes until they change the color. (Note: Scroll up to see my Step-by-Step Instructions with images for each step).
- Add ginger garlic paste and green chili and saute for another 1 minute.
- Then add tomatoes to it; once the tomatoes turn mushy and the oil starts to separate, add spices (turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, and coriander powder) and cook for 1 more minute.(Note: Scroll up to see my Step-by-Step Instructions with images for each step).
- Add rinsed dal, water, and salt to the pot and close the lid.
- INSTANT POT: Ensure the vent is in the sealing position to maintain pressure. Pressure cook for 20 minutes at a high-pressure level and let the pressure release naturally. STOVE-TOP PRESSURE COOKER: Close the lid and pressure cook at medium temperature for 5-7 whistles. Then, let the pressure release naturally and then open the lid. (Note: Scroll up to see my Step-by-Step Instructions with images for each step).
Tempering
- Add oil in a small Kadai/ wok or a pot. When the oil is hot, add garlic, cumin seeds, and whole red chili. Once garlic starts to change color, add Kasuri Methi, Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, and Asoefitida. Cook for 1 more minute, then pour the tempering on the cooked dal along with cilantro and lemon juice.
Serving
- Serve the prepared dal with Roti, Rice, or Parantha, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
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- Soaking the Dal: Soak the dal for 3-4 hours for the best flavor. This helps in reducing cooking time, is easy to digest, and cooks evenly.
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- Cooking Method: You can cook the dal in an Instant Pot, a stovetop pressure cooker, or a pot. The pressure cooker or Instant Pot reduces the cooking time to 15-30 minutes.
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- Consistency: Add or reduce water to achieve your desired consistency. For a soup-like consistency, add more water; for a thick consistency, reduce it.
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- Spices: Feel free to add spices to your liking. For a spicy flavor, add more red chili powder.
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- Tempering (or Tadka): Tempering elevates the flavor of any dal. Make tempering of ghee, garlic, Kashmiri red chili powder, kasuri methi, and asoefetida.
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- Vegetables: you can add fiber using fiber-rich vegetables like spinach, carrots, etc.
Natalia says
This is my favourite way of making moong dal. Easy, not complicated and so tasty. Great recipe!
Monumetric says
Thank You
Eliz says
What’s the red tempering - apart from red dried chili?
SunGari says
It is the oil with garlic, curry leaves, cumin seeds, and red chili powder.