Thanks again to Sailu’s Foods, I have found the ultimate in fast foods. Split yellow moong dal (pesara pappu) are tiny lentils that have been split and de-hulled; they cook up super-fast with no need for soaking or pressure cooking.
Last week I went looking for these in a local Indian grocery store, and I came out with them. . . and four other types of dal. When I got home, I laid them all out on the counter along with the dals I already had. My daughter suggested I make “8-Dal Soup,” leading me to try an experiment that failed, badly. So, no 8-Dal Soup recipe. Consider yourself lucky.
Anyway, to get back to the dal at hand, this simple recipe is taken almost exactly from Sailu’s blog. The only change I made was to eliminate the ghee and substitute 1/4 teaspoon of canola oil, for “blooming” the spices. I feel that cooking the spices in a tiny bit of oil helps release their flavor, but if you want to eliminate even this bit of oil, feel free to experiment with dry-frying the spices. Just be careful they don’t burn.
Spiced Moong Dal
1 cup split moong dal (pesara pappu)
3 cups water
a few drops canola oil (to temper spices)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
2 dry red chilies, deseeded and torn into pieces
1 tsp grated ginger
10 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric
big pinch asafoetida (hing)
salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Wash the dal and check it carefully for small rocks. Bring the water to a boil, add the dal, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until soft (about 15 minutes).
Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot and add the cumin seeds; cook them until they brown, but be careful not to burn. (I cooked them for about a minute.)
Add the red chilies, green chilies, curry leaves, and ginger, and cook for a few seconds. Then add the turmeric and asafetida, stir, and immediately add the cooked dal. Check to make sure there’s enough water, and if the dal seems too thick or dry, add some. (At this point, you can make this a soup by adding even more water. I served it as a thick bean dish and added only about a cup of extra water.)
Add salt to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Just before serving, add lemon juice. Serve with rice or bread (pictured above with onion naan).
Makes about 4 servings.
This was flavorful but not too spicy. To make it more spicy, include the red pepper seeds.
This was my first time using curry leaves, but now that I have a bag full of them, I’m going to be looking for other ways to use these aromatic leaves. If you are also new to curry leaves, this web page contains some valuable information, including the fact that curry leaves can be frozen, and that they should not be removed from the stem until just before cooking.
B
“Cook the moong dal in 3 cups of water until soft (about 15 minutes).”
“Cook” as in boil?
SusanV
Bring the water to a boil, add dal, reduce heat, and simmer until dal is done.
ChrisN
Looks good but can you be more specific with the water to add? After cooking the lentils, I would have expected to drain the any excess water off (if there is any) but I would like to make the soup variation so how much water should be added to make the soup without it being watery?
SusanV
When the lentils are done, they should have absorbed the water, so to make it soupy, I would expect to have to add 1 to 2 cups more water. But all lentils are different, and the heat at which you cook them can make a lot of difference in how much water evaporates, so I really suggest playing this by ear and adding water as you go until it reaches the consistency you want.
caterina
Are the curry leaves you used fresh or dried? I was wondering if there is much difference between the two, because I can get only the dried kind…
SusanV
I used fresh but I think dried would do too. When I find fresh curry leaves, I freeze them for later use, and they taste just like the fresh.
Lisa
Do you know where I might buy moong dal that is gluten free? So far, there appears to be cross-contamination…..
SusanV
That’s a hard question. I wasn’t aware of the cross-contamination, but I can see how that would be a problem. I just bought mine at an Indian grocery, so I presume it was not certified gluten-free.
Viktoria
Thank you for a wonderful site! Do I have to wash the split moong beans before cooking? I was also wondering this about split red lentils and anything similar.
Susan Voisin
Yes, just to be safe, I advise checking all legumes for small rocks and debris first and then washing it and draining well.
Viktoria
Thank you so much for your prompt reply! <3
Sarah
you can freeze curry leaves. just put them in a ziploc – they dont stick together as long as they are dry when put into bag. add to any indian dish
Christine Gervais
Your 9-dal soup fiasco comment made me laugh. I have those moments, too! but they’ve fortunately also led to some tasty new dishes! Thanks for the laugh and the recipe!
fatima
You can easily freeze the Curry Leaves , they freeze well . I tend to use them in all my dal (without my dal is tasteless ) they also give a nice flavour to curries .
fatima
adding some fresh grated garlic (into puree ) to the oil will make it nice and tasty towards the end . and dont forget a few chopped fresch coriander leaves towards the end . i also tend to add a few browned onion slices towards the end too . iam not indian but i have been experimenting with Indian food for 30 years . i love it .
Vikki
Sounds yummy. How many servings does it make?