Moong Dal - A healthy Dal of Indian Cuisine

 Moongdal is a vegetarian superfood which is very rich in protiens and essetial nutrients. The dal is very rich in protein and it helps in building tissues, bones, muscles. Good for blood and skin enhancement. Moong dal is rich in Vitamin E, C and K. Moong dal forms an integral part of Indian diet and as it is low in carbs this is one of the healthiest options. It also helps in preventing diabetes and improves digestive health. 
Moong dal can be used as a diet food, can be given to babies too. 

Recipes using Moong Dal
Moong Dal Halwa
Moong Dal Ladoo
Ashoka Halwa
Kosambari
Moong Dal Payasam
Lucknowi Dal
Moong Dal Sundal
Munthiri Kothu
Moong Dal Vada
Moong Dal Soup
Full Meal Soup
Pesaret or Peserattu
Moong Dal Idly

Apart from these most South Indian Kootus, Hotel Sambar, Gojju, Pongal varieties all use Moong Dal as a major dal in all those dishes. 

Instant Kootu

This is a very quick and easy recipe that can be cooked by any one in a span of 15 to 20 mins.

Ingredients:
Chow Chow (Chayote) - 1 no
Carrot - 2 nos
Cabbage - 1/4 kg (optional)
Potato - 2 nos
Beans - 8 nos
Moong Dal - 1 cup
Sambar Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Bengal gram - 2 tbsp
Green chilly - 1 no

Method:
Cut all the vegetables except cabbage in reasonable size cubes. Cut the cabbage into thin strips.  Add all the vegetables, moong dal, sambar powder, salt in a pressure pan and cook it for about 3 whistles.

Let it cool and mix thoroughly. In a seasoning pan add ghee and when hot add mustand seeds and when it splutters add bengal gram, green chilly and grated coconut. Add it to the vegetables. Serve with rice and also with chappati.

Peserat Dosai - Moong dal dosai

This is an Andhra style Adai dosai that is made specially with moong dal.

Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 3 cups
Boiled Rice - 1 cup
Red Chilly - 6 nos

Peserattu Batter

Green Chilly - 2 nos
Salt to taste
Curry Leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Asafodeita - 1 inch piece

Method:
Wash and soak the dal and rice for about 2 hours. Grind it along with the other ingredients to a fine batter.

Heat a tawa and pour the batter just like dosa and spread it evenly. When one side is crisp, turn it to the other side. Cook for about a minute.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve with mint chutney, sweet mango pickle, mor kuzhambu or honey.

Maa Laadoo|Moong Dal Laadoo

Maa Ladoo can be made either using Fried Dal or Moong Dal. 

Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 1 cup

Sugar - 3/4th cup

Ghee - 1/2 cup

Cashew nuts - 20 nos

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp (made from 4 to 6 cardamoms)

Method:

Fry Moong dal till it turns golden brown. When cool grind it to a very fine powder. (If it is not obtained, sieve and grind again). Grind sugar to make sugar powder. Mix moong dal powder and sugar together. Add cardamom powder to it and mix well. 

In 2 tbsp of ghee fry cashewnuts after breaking it into pieces. Add it to the dal flour and mix thoroughly.

Heat the remaining ghee and pour it over the flour and mix well. Make small balls when the ghee is hot.

Moong Dal Sundal - Navarthri special recipe

Moong Dal, which can also be made as Kosambari/Kosumalli

Ingredients:
Moong Dhal - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp
Salt - as per your taste
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilly - 2
Curry Leaves - some A
Asafodeita - a pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Ginger - a small piece.


Method:
Cook the dal in water on stove top (If pressure cooked the dal will become mashed too much.). Drain the excess water.


In a pan add oil and mustard seeds. When it splutters add urad dal and hing. Add curry leaves, green chilly and ginger (grated or cut into small pieces). Stir for a min till the urad dal turns golden in colour. Add the cooked dal, salt and grated coconut and mix thoroughly in low flame.


Remove from flame and let it cool. Neivedhyam is ready.

Recipe for Pongal made of Sugar

Recipe for Sarkarai pongal made of sarkarai. This is not as famous as the Sarkarai Pongal made of Jaggery. My grand ma makes this on Pongal day itself. But my mom makes it during Kanu.

Ingredients:

Milk - 1/2 ltr
Raw Rice - 1 cup
Moong Dal - 1/3 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom - 3 to 4 nos
Cashew nut - 12 nos
Ghee - 1 cup

Method:
Wash and pressure cook rice and moong dal in 4 cups of water. When done mash the rice well. Add sugar and milk and mix well. In low flame cook for another 5 mins by stirring constantly.

Remove from flame, powder the cardamom and add it to the Pongal. Fry cashew nut in 2 tbsp of ghee untill it is golden brown in colour and add it to the Pongal. Add the remaining ghee.

Can be served as a part of breakfast along with Ven Pongal and Medu Vadai.

Ven Pongal - A protein rich breakfast

A day have to be started with healthy breakfast and one of the very famous south Indian breakfast dish is Ven Pongal commonly known as Pongal.Ven - White, why this is called as Ven Pongal? thas because, whenever we talk of Pongal in South India, it is only the Sweet Pongal or the Sarkarai Pongal . So to differentiate this spicy pongal which is also white in colour, it is called as Ven Pongal

Ingredients need to make Pongal
Rice - 1 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Black Pepper - 1 spoon
Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 spoons
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Asafodeita - a pinch
Salt to taste
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashew Nuts - 10 to 12

How to prepare Ven Pongal the way it is prepared in hotels and restaurants?
In a pan fry moong dal and rice separately till they become golden in colour. Wash them separately then mix them together. The total quantity of rice and dal is equal to 1 1/2 cups. Add 4 cups of water and pressure cook rice and moong dal together. When done remove and add salt.

Chop the ginger to fine pieces. Slit green chillies into two halves without cutting it fully. Grind black pepper and cumin seeds coarsely. Add ginger, green chillies, pepper and cumin powder and asafodeita to the cooked rice.

In a frying laddle, add 1/2 of the ghee and fry the cashew nuts till they become golden brown. Cut the curry leaves into small pieces and spread on top of the Ven Pongal. Pour the fried cashew nut along with ghee on top of the curry leaves. Heat  the remaining ghee and pour it too. Mix everything thoroughly.

Adjust the salt if needed. The best side dish for Venpongal is Chutney and Tomato Gojju.

Moong Dal Paayasam

A payasam that is made specially for all Ambal Poojas.

Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cups
Cardamom Power - 2 pinches
Milk - 2 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cashewnuts - 6 to 8 nos

Method:
Pressure cook moong dal. When done add jaggery and cardamom powder and mix well. Keep in low flame and stir untill the jaggery dissolves thoroughly. Remove from flame and add milk.

In a tadka laddle add ghee and fry the cashew nuts untill golden brown. Add it to the Payasam. Serve hot or cold.

Sarkarai Pongal - A sweet recipe for any festival

This is one recipe which is made very often at home especially on fridays of the Tamil month of Thai and Aadi. This is also one Pongal that is made during the festival of Pongal.

Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cups
Milk - 4 cups
Cardamom - 2 pieces (grind it to fine powder)
Cashew nuts - 10 to 12 pieces
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Raisins - 12 pieces

Method:
In a dry pan fry the rice and moong dal separately till a nice aroma is emitted. Pressure cook the rice and dal together with 2 cups of milk and 5 cups of water. Cook for almost 5 whistles. Mash it thoroughly when the rice is warm. Heat the remaining 2 cups of milk in a solid bottom vessel or pan and add the mashed rice to it and mix thoroughly. Slice the jaggery and add it to the rice and milk and mix thoroughly. Add cardamom powder and mix again.

Fry cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and add it to the cooked Sarkarai Pongal.

How to make Instant Sambar

When there are guests at home, or when there is a need to make Sambar fast and instantly, then the following can be done with easily.

Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 1 cup
Green Cillies - 2 nos
Tomatoes - 2 nos
Salt - To taste
Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp

To Temper
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Hing - one pinch

Method:
  Pressure cook moong dal and mash it thoroughly. Add salt, diced tomatoes, and green chillies to tamarind water and boil it for a few mins. Add the cooked dal and mix well.

   Remove from flame and temper.

Moong Dal Soup a protein rich recipe

Ingredients:

Moong Dal - 1 cup

Onion - 1 no. finely chopped

Garlic - 2 cloves

Ginger - 1 inch piece 

Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Tomato Puree - 2 tbsp (optional)

Water - 1 1/2 cups

Salt and pepper to taste

Method to make Moong Dal Soup:

In a small sized pressure cooker or pan or in a hard bottom kadai add oil and fry chopped ginger, garlic and onion. Add tomato puree and mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Wash the moong dal and add it to the mixed ingredients and pressure cook with half cup of water for about 2 to 3 whistles.

When cool blend all the ingredients in a blender. Add the remaining cup of water and make it a semi liquid soup. Garnish it with coriander leaves chopped into fine pieces. 

Serve hot and before serving add salt and pepper to it.

Tomato Gojju (Kothsu or Gothsu) - Yummy side dish recipe

Whenever I make Idly or Dosa or Pongal, I end up making up either Tomato Gojju or Kathrikai Gojju, which goes well with any of the tiffin items.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 2 ripe (chopped finely)
Onions - 2 big (chopped finely)
Green Chilly - 1 no.
Sambar Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Curry Leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup finely chopped for decoration

Method: 
Pressure cook moong dal and keep it separately.

In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds to it when it splutters add bengal gram, turmeric powder and hing to it. Whe the Bengal gram turns golden, add onions and when they turn glassy add the tomatoes to it. Saute everything till the tomatoes become soft. Add 2 cups of water and cooked moong dal. Add salt and let everything boil. When all blend well remove from flame and add curry leaves and coriander leaves to it.

Ashoka Halwa - Tanjore style Moong Dal Halwa

Ashoka Halwa is regarded as the king of sweets.

Ingredients:
Moond Dal - 2 cups
Maida - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3 cups
Ghee- 3 cups
Cashew Nuts - 100 gms
Cardomom powder - made of 10 to 12 cardomoms
Red food colour - a pinch
Water - 1 1/4 cup

Method:
Clean the moong dal and pressure cook it till it becomes soft. In a pan fry the maida till it smells cooked. In a pan pour water and add sugar to it and mix well. Once the sugar gets dissolved add the cooked moong dal to it and add little sugar to it and keep stirring. This mixture will be in the form of dosa batter. When it starts coming out of the edges, add maida to it and mix again. This will come to a ball like consistency. Add the remaining ghee, cardomom powder and broken cashew nuts. Remove from flame, and spread it in a ghee greased plate. Serve hot.

Moong Dal Halwa - Typical Rajasthani style Recipe

While we had been to Olives in Deccan Plaza, we were served this Moong Dal Halwa, it was dry and coarse, not the regular halwas that we had always.

Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 100 1 cup
Ghee - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Badam - 10 to 12 pieces
Pista - 6 pieces(unsalted)
Raisins - 6

Method:
Soak moong dal in water for 2 hours, drain and grind it coarsely. In a pan add sugar and 2 spoons of water and make sugar syrup. In another pan heat ghee and add moong dal to it. Keep mixing till it turns golden brown and leaves the sides. Put moong dal in sugar syrup and cook on low flame till all the ingredients mix well and blend together. Remove from fire and decorate it with badam, pista and raisins.

Munthiri Kothu

Whenever I read Ramani Chandran's novels, I have come across one particular dish named Munthiri Kothu. I had an impression that it is made of cashewnuts. But later I found out that the entire preparation is totally different and it is very tasty too. Here is the method to do it.

Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 1 Cup
Jaggery - 1 Cup
Maida - 3 Tspn
Rice Flour - 1 Tspn
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tspn
Cardomom Powder - 1 Pinch (or powder made of 4 to 6 cardomoms)
Oil - To Fry

Method:
Fry moong dal till it becomes red in colour. Pressure cook it. Make jaggery syrup and when it comes to a ball like consistency, then add the cooked and mashed moong dal to it. Make them into a reasonable sized balls.

Mix maida and rice flour along with turmeric and cardomom powder in water and let the batter be in the consistency of dosa batter. Dip the moong dal balls in this batter and fry them in oil.

Tasty Munthiri Kothu is ready.

Sprouted Moong Dal Kosumalli

Making sprouts:
Soak green moong dal over night. The next day morning remove it from water and drain the excess water throughly. Keep it covered in a warm place. It will take atleast 3 days to sprout.

Ingredients:
1 cup sprouted moong dal
1/4 cup fresh coconut grated
1/2 sp salt
1/2 sp lemon juice or 1/4 cup Mango grated
1/4 cup Carrot
2 green chillies finely chopped
1Tbspn coriander leaves finely chopped

Method:
In a big bowl add the sprouts, carrot, mango, grated coconut and mix well. (As there is no seasoning you can add the lemon juice along with other ingredients, if you are using it). Add salt and chilly. Mix well by tossing the bowl. Add the coriander leaves and serve.

Recipe for Kosumalli / Kosambari

This is a dish which is my all time favourite. When ever I feel like eating Salad, I just prepare this and eat it and it is really yummy. I make the simplest version of the below given recipe. I dont add carrots, or grated coconut when I want to make it in a jiffy.

Ingredients:
1 small cup Moong dal - soak in water for 1/2 an hour and drain the water and completely
1 medium size cucumber (check whether it is not bitter)
1 carrot - grated
2 - 4 green chilly - finely chopped
1 sp lemon juice or grated or finely chopped mango
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
1/2 sp mustard seeds
1 sp oil
Salt

Method:
In a bowl take the drained moong dal and add the carrot, cucumber, green chilly and salt and mix well. If you are adding mango leave the lemon juice. Add the mango along with the carrot and cucumber. In a pan add oil and add the mustard seeds. When it is ready pour it on the mixture. After mixing it well, add the grated coconut.

If you are adding lemon juice add it after you do the seasoning and not before that.

If you are so concerned about your health, avoid the grated coconut.

Pongal - A recipe made out of Sugar

A sweet recipe made of rice and moong dal. Similar to Sarkarai Pongal but made out of sugar instead of Jaggery.

சர்க்கரை பொங்கலை போலவே மிகவும் இனிமையான ஒன்று. சிலர் பொங்கல் அன்றும் சிலர் அதற்கு அடுத்த நாளும் இதை செய்வார்கள். குறிப்பாக, கனு வைக்கும் அன்று, இதை செய்வது மிகவும் விசேஷம்.

பால் - அரை லிட்டெர்
பச்சை அரிசி - அரை ஆழாக்கு
பயத்தம் பருப்பு - கால் aazhakku
சர்க்கரை - ஒரு ஆழாக்கு
ஏலக்காய்
முந்திரி
நெய் அரை கப்

செய்முறை:
அரிசி மற்றும் பயத்தம் பருப்பை நன்றாக கழுவி, குழைய வேக வெய்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். பாலை நன்றாக காய்ச்சி அதை அரிசியுடன் சேர்த்து கலந்து விடவும். எல்லாம் நன்றாக கலந்து வரும் போது அதை இறக்கி, நெய்யில் முந்திரி வறுத்து போட்டு ஏலக்காய் சேர்த்து கலக்கி விடவும்.

For the english version of Pongal using Sugar