MUNG DAL TADKA
Recipe and photo Credit
Meredith Klein of Pranaful.com
This dal is commonly found in Indian restaurants, often as an appetizer soup. It’s great it on its own or as part of a larger feast. I especially love it on winter nights when plans require me to eat a bit later than usual and I want to keep things on the lighter side.
Prep time: 5m | Cook time: 40m | Total time: 45m | Serves 4 Vegan option | Gluten-free
Ingredients:
1 cup split yellow mung beans, soaked for 2–3 hours and drained
1 tomato, diced
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
3½ cups water
1 serrano chile, halved and seeds removed (optional)
1 Tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¾ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
4 curry leaves (optional)
1 pinch hing/asafetida (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
- Place mung beans, tomato, turmeric, water and chile (if using) in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam and lower heat to a simmer. Cook covered for 20–30 minutes, or until beans are very soft. (Add more water during cooking if you desire a soupier dal.)
- While the beans cook, heat the ghee in a small skillet over a medium-low flame. Add cumin, mustard seeds, ginger, curry leaves and hing and stir often. Once mustard seeds begin to pop, remove the skillet from the stove.
- Add sautéed spices to the mung beans once they are soft and cook for 5–10 minutes to let flavors settle. Add salt and adjust to taste. Serve dal over basmati rice or in bowls on its own.