Moong dal (Split Washed Green Gram), the most healthy dal but always tagged as most boring dal. Even I had same perception about this dal before marriage. To be honest, before marriage I had no clue that a dish named this even existed. On one of my marriage ceremony hosted by my husband’s family, my cousins spotted the stall of this dish in starters section. They tasted it for first time and it changed their perception entirely about the so-called boring dal. We all went crazy about it and ate so many bowls of it same day and still couldn’t get enough of it.

This dal is typically from the Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh region of India. One who are native to place in and around Moradabad would know how many small vendors sell this in morning. With growing popularity this is now even sold at few places in and around Delhi, India too. I am a big fan of this dish now and I recreate it often as breakfast. This can be enjoyed as a thickened soup alone or with “mathris” ( a savory flaky biscuit). I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law who belongs to Moradabad and this recipe never fails to impress the people who taste it for first time.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup moong dal
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• A pinch of Asafetida
• 4 roasted dry Red chili
• 2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 2-3 tablespoon salted butter
• 2 lemon juice
• 4-5 tablespoon coriander and mint leaves chutney
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a pressure cooker add washed dal, water, salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida and cook it on medium flame for 2-3 whistles and let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
2. Once all the pressure is released, let the dal simmer for another 1/2 hour while stirring in between to avoid sticking to the bottom.
3. Best to know when you are done with the cooking is when you don’t see any dal grains and it should be smooth consistency. Longer it is cooked on low flame better it would taste.
4. Pour dal in a bowl and add butter, lemon juice, roasted cumin powder, coriander chutney and crushed roasted whole red chili. For single serving, 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin, 1 tablespoon chutney, 2 teaspoon butter, 1/2 lemon juice and 1-2 whole red chilis.
5. Serve it with mathri (Indian popular snack) and it is completely optional as it tastes amazing eaten alone too.

Additional Tips & Tricks

• To have the best of flavor be little generous with butter.
• While pressure cooking add little extra asafoetida and it will work wonder and give little punch to whole dish.