Mung Bean Dal & Pigeon Pea Stew ( Vegan & Gluten-free)

Published: Apr 2, 2013 · Modified: Oct 29, 2019 by Richa 32 Comments

Instant Pot Mung Dal is a healthy and easy Indian dal recipe that is the perfect vegan main dish for a cold winter night. In this authentic Indian recipe protein-packed Mung/Moong bean dal (lentils) and split pigeon peas are cooked in the pressure cooker with warming Indian spices!

side view of a bowl of vegan Mung Dal and Pigeon Pea Stew garnished with fresh herbs

An easy fuss-free Mung Dal recipe with split Mung beans and split Pigeon peas as well as a short lentil primer:). This vegan Indian mung dal bean stew is spiced with mustard seeds, chili garlic paste, and has onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic.

The method to make the mung dal recipe can be used to make any other lentils/split peas/split beans or whole beans as well.

Lentils, peas, and beans form a major part of our Indian meal.

Most days, I whip up a lentil stew with one or more kinds of lentils/beans. I would also make a side dry Subzi (vegetable stir-fry), maybe a salad, some wheat Rotis/Chapatis or Rice or another whole-grain pilaf to serve with this dal.

This thick dal can also be served as a dip with Avocado Naan.

A little guide to Indian lentils, beans, and peas:

Red lentils are also called Pink or orange lentils or Masoor Dal and they are basically whole red lentils that have been skinned/dehusked and split.

Whole Red Lentils are also called Indian brown Lentils or Sabut Masoor. Pictured below. Whole Red lentils can be substituted with any other brown variety, Spanish or other without much of a difference in the method of cooking.

Mung beans/Moong Beans are also available whole, as well as split (which is green) and skinned and split (which is yellow). I ran out of the split types but will add the pictures after my trip to the Indian store.

Chana Dal (split chickpea) is skinned and split Bengal gram/black chickpea. It is easy to confuse these split chickpeas with pigeon peas, but Chana dal is fatter, with a rough surface. It also takes longer to cook and they taste nuttier than pigeon pea.

Skinned and Split Pigeon Pea or Toor Dal or Arhar Dal (below) is more popular in India than the whole variety.
There are lots more types of lentils, split and whole and they all can be used to make stews/dal/soup.

Ingredients for this Mung Dal recipe:

Dried Pigeon Peas are a good source of protein, dietary fiber, and various vitamins: thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese.
Yellow Mung Beans are one of the best plant-based sources of protein. They have a slightly sweet taste and are sold either fresh, as sprouts or as dried beans. They aren’t very common in the US but can be purchased from most bulk stores and at health food stores.

Substitutions for Mung Dal:

For the chili garlic paste, you can use red chili powder instead of soaked chiles. You can make a bigger batch in a food processor.
If you want a thicker mung dal, add only 1,5 cups of water to the beans/peas.
Make this mung dal recipe oil-free by dry roasting the spices, then grinding them.

How to make Mung Dal

In a deep pan or pressure cooker, add oil and heat on medium and add mustard seeds. Wait for them to sputter. Now, add in asafoetida, curry leaves/bay leaf and mix. Cook for half a minute before adding onions and ginger and sauteeing them until translucent.
Add your homemade chili garlic paste (recipe see below), as well as coriander powder and cook for a minute.
Now, toss in the tomato, and turmeric and simmer for 2-3 minutes until tomatoes get mushy. At this point, you can add chopped up vegetables, other spices, garam masala/curry powder.
Drain the lentils and add them to the pan along with salt, and water and mix well. Pressure cook for 1-2 whistle or cook covered on low for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are tender and mushy.
Adjust salt, spices and water for consistency. Bring to a boil and serve. Serve Mung Dal hot topped with chopped cilantro leaves or red chili flakes, with Roti-Indian flatbread, Rice, dry veggie subzis or as a soup with garlic bread/pita/Naan.

How to make Chili Garlic paste:

Soak a whole dry red chili pepper in warm water for 10 minutes.
With a mortar and pestle, pound 5-6 cloves of garlic with the soaked chili and a few drops of vinegar.
You can also use red chili powder and make a bigger batch in a food processor.

Can Mung Dal be made in advance?

Yes, absolutely! To refresh the daal next day, in a small pan, add a teaspoon of oil, heat on medium, add 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, 3-4 curry leaves and chili flakes. Wait for the mustard seeds to sputter. Pour this over the heated Daal and serve.

More authentic Indian Dal recipes from the blog:

This Mung Dal (Moong Daal) recipe is being shared at Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Ricki’s Wellness Weekend.

Recipe Card

vegan mung dal in a sliver Indian serving bowl

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Mung Bean Dal and Pigeon Pea Stew. Toor aur Mung Dal.

Mung Dal is a healthy and easy vegan Indian dal recipe that is the perfect fuss-free vegan main dish for a cold winter night. In this authentic Indian recipe protein-packed Mung/Moong bean dal (lentils) and split pigeon peans are cooked in the pressure cooker with warming Indian spices and a homemade chili garlic paste for some heat! Allergen Information: Free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy, yeast, nut, gluten.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Vegetarian

Keyword: mung dal recipe, split pea stew recipe, vegan dal recipe

Servings: 2 - 3

Calories: 244.4kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

1/4 cup (51 g) dried yellow mung bean split mung bean, Mung Dal washed and soaked for at least an hour
1/4 cup (51.25 g) dried pigeon peas toor dal, or any split pea, washed and soaked for an hour
1.5-2 cups (354.88 ml) water 1.5 for a thicker consistency
1/2 teaspoon (2.46 g) salt

Tempering:

2 teaspoons (9.86 ml) organic canola oil or any organic oil with high smoke point
1/2 teaspoon (2.46 g) mustard seeds Raee
1 teaspoon (4.93 g) coriander powder
5-6 fresh curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
1 pinch asafoetida hing optional
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped
1/4 cup (40 g) onion chopped
1-2 Tablespoons (14.79 g) chili garlic paste recipe below
1/4 teaspoon (1.23 g) turmeric powder
1 medium tomato chopped

Instructions

In a deep pan or pressure cooker, add oil and heat on medium
Add mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter.
Add asafoetida, curry leaves/bay leaf and mix. Cook for half a minute
Add onions and ginger and cook until translucent.
Add chili garlic paste, coriander powder and cook for a minute.
Add the tomato, turmeric and cook for 2-3 minutes until tomatoes get mushy.
At this point, you can add chopped up vegetables, other spices, garam masala/curry powder.
Drain the lentils and add them to the pan, add salt, and water and mix well.
Pressure cook for 1-2 whistle or cook covered on low for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are tender and mushy.
Adjust salt, spices and water for consistency. Bring to a boil and serve.
Serve hot topped with chopped cilantro leaves or red chili flakes, with Roti-Indian flatbread, Rice, dry veggie subzis or as a soup with garlic bread/pita/Naan.

Chili Garlic paste:

Soak a whole dry red chili pepper in warm water for 10 minutes.
With a mortar and pestle, pound 5-6 cloves of garlic with the soaked chili and a few drops of vinegar.
You can also use red chili powder and make a bigger batch in a food processor.

Notes

To refresh the daal next day, in a small pan, add a teaspoon of oil, heat on medium, add 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, 3-4 curry leaves, and chili flakes. Wait for the mustard seeds to sputter. Pour this over the heated Daal and serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Mung Bean Dal and Pigeon Pea Stew. Toor aur Mung Dal.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 244.4 Calories from Fat 49

% Daily Value*

Fat 5.42g8%

Saturated Fat 0.58g4%

Sodium 775.75mg34%

Potassium 854.05mg24%

Carbohydrates 38.42g13%

Fiber 9.56g40%

Sugar 4.38g5%

Protein 12.95g26%

Vitamin A 541.79IU11%

Vitamin C 16.01mg19%

Calcium 86.34mg9%

Iron 3.73mg21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2013 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness in October 2019.

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A little guide to Indian lentils, beans, and peas:

Ingredients for this Mung Dal recipe:

Substitutions for Mung Dal:

How to make Chili Garlic paste:

Can Mung Dal be made in advance?

More authentic Indian Dal recipes from the blog:

Recipe Card

Mung Bean Dal and Pigeon Pea Stew. Toor aur Mung Dal.

Ingredients

Tempering:

Instructions

Chili Garlic paste:

Notes

Nutrition

Sharing is caring!

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