This toor and moong dal is perfect for a weeknight dinner. Low effort, outrageously delicious, and my favorite kind of desi comfort food. Bookmark this post, because this recipe is about to become a staple in your dal repertoire.
Serve it with roti, naan, or, like I love, with rice because who doesn’t love daal chawal with some achar, kachumber or a fried, crispy papad!
Daal is made in countless ways across South Asia, and each region has its own spin on it. Popular lentils include moong (aka mung), masoor, toor (also called arhar), chana, and there are plenty of others I can’t recall right now. Some recipes use just one type of lentil, and some combine different varieties for unique flavors.
In my part of the world, South Asian foods often get renamed in ways that make me scratch my head.
Who even came up with the name 'chai tea'? Chai literally means tea in Hindi and Urdu so it's like saying 'tea tea'.
Or like, 'naan bread'. Why hasn’t anyone ever called tortillas ‘tortilla bread’?
And speaking of daal, I’ve heard it called everything from ‘daal soup’ to ‘Indian lentil soup’ to ‘dal curry.’ And at this point, I’ve just stopped correcting people.
Anyway, whatever you call it, and whatever you typed into Google, I’m just glad you found my recipe. This right here is an authentic one.
Sure, we sometimes eat it with a spoon like soup, but the main way to enjoy it is with bread or rice. I love it with some nicely cooked, fluffy basmati rice.
Pre-cooking notes
A few helpful notes about the ingredients for this recipe. I've mentioned the quantities in the recipe card below.
- If you’re new to South Asian cuisine, take a trip to a Pakistani or Indian store. You’ll find almost all the ingredients you need for this recipe that you don’t get at regular supermarkets.
- I use small Thai green chilies, but you’ll also find milder, bigger green chilies in South Asian stores. Avoid serranos and jalapeños.
- Fresh curry leaves are always better than dried. If, like me, you can’t get through the whole bunch before it goes bad, wash the leaves, spread them out on a flat surface, wait for them to dry completely until they crisp up, and then store for later use. Or use store-bought dried leaves, although those are rarely as aromatic.
- I know sugar isn’t an ingredient you commonly see in dal recipes, but it adds a really nice balance to the dish. Trust me, don’t skip it.
A visual guide for making Toor and Moong dal
I don’t think this recipe is a difficult one, but I also know that visuals help. So here are some step-by-step photos to make the cooking process easy to follow. Plus, there’s a printable recipe card down below with all the ingredients, instructions, and notes in one place.
Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode, add cooking oil and add ginger-garlic-chili paste. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Next add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add curry leaves, salt, sugar and chicken bouillon cube. Stir to mix. Add wash and drained dals, pour in water, and mix everything together. Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to "High" pressure setting for 22 minutes.
When the time is up, do a quick release of pressure. Open the lid and stir until the dal is well blended and has paste-like consistency. Add water to adjust to your desired consistency. Select “Less” on sauté mode and let the dal simmer. Meanwhile, get the tarka ready.
In a small pan, heat ghee or oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and chopped chilies. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic just starts to turn golden at the edges, don't let it brown. Next add the cumin seeds and let them cook for about 30 seconds. Add kasuri methi, give a quick stir, then turn off the heat.
Carefully pour the hot tarka over the dal in the Instant Pot. Add lemon/lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Stir and let the daal simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice, naan, or roti. If reheating leftovers, you may need to add a bit of water, as the dal thickens when it cools.
Top tips
- I’m not the person who uses store-bought ginger and garlic paste. Sure, premade pastes are convenient, but they’re not nearly the same as using fresh aromatics. That said, this recipe is forgiving, so you can use them. And if you’re going with premade pastes, no need to pull out your blender just for a few chilies. Chop them very finely before you add them in.
- This dal makes great leftovers, but I like to make it even better by adding fresh tarka again when I reheat it on the stove. Just reduce the quantity of the mentioned tarka ingredients in proportion to the amount of leftovers, and skip the kasuri methi. Obviously, if you’re in a rush and just reheating it in the microwave, you can skip the tarka, and that’s totally fine. Either way, make sure to add a little water when reheating, since cooked dal tends to thicken as it cools.
Serving ideas
Dal can be enjoyed with naan, roti, or rice. I love it with basmati. Also, my favorite condiments/sides to serve with dal are kachumber, quick pickled carrot (Indian style), achar, and papad. Some people like it with raita.
One last thing!
Don’t let this dal’s thin consistency fool you. It's packed with flavor, even if it looks a bit like some watered-down, prison-style food.
There are definitely richer, thicker dals varieties out there, for example, dal makhani, but this soup-like, runny consistency holds a special place in my heart (and my stomach). And I’m sure that anyone who grew up eating Indian or Pakistani food feels the same way.
It makes for a super economical and satisfying meal, is easy to scale up if you want to feed a crowd, and will make everyone so, so dangg happy. Plus, it comes together in 30 minutes if you don't do the soaking step, which I recommend you don't, but skippable if you’re in a rush.
So go now, give this recipe a try and then share your experience below. I truly appreciate your reviews.
Happy cooking – Nelo
Toor and Moong Dal (Pigeon Pea and Yellow Lentil Curry)
Ingredients
For Cooking Dal
- ½ cup yellow moong dal - split yellow lentils
- ½ cup toor dal - aka split pigeon pea or arhar dal
- 3 large cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger - peeled
- 2 small green chilies - adjust quantity to taste
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder - dhaniya powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder - zeera powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder - haldi
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste - or 1 large tomato, finely diced
- 6-8 curry leaves - fresh or dried
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 chicken cube - skip for vegetarian version
- 3 cups (710 ml) water - more later if needed
- a handful of chopped cilantro - aka fresh coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - or lime juice
For Tarka
- 3 tablespoons ghee - or cooking oil
- 3 large cloves garlic - roughly chopped
- 2 small green chilies - cut into 3 to 4 pieces each (Note A)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds - safaid zeera
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi - dried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
Cook the dal
- Rinse the moong dal and toor dal together 2 to 3 times, then soak in warm (not hot) water for 30 minutes, and drain. You can skip the soaking step, but it’s recommended as it helps with digestion.
- In a small blender or chutney grinder, blend the garlic, ginger, and green chilies into a smooth paste. If it’s hard to blend, add a few tablespoons of water to help it along.
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode to the "Normal" setting. Then add cooking oil.
- If your ginger-garlic-chili paste is watery, add it before the oil heats up to prevent any splattering. Saute the paste for about 2 to 3 minutes and stir constantly.
- Next add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala. Stir for a few seconds and be careful not to let it burn.
- If using tomato paste, add it now and cook for 1 minute. If using fresh diced tomato instead, add it and then cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until it softens and breaks down.
- Add curry leaves, salt, sugar and the optional chicken bouillon cube. Stir to mix. If using dried curry leaves, crush them between your palms before adding.
- Add the drained dals, pour in 3 cups water, and mix everything together.
- Close the lid and make sure the pressure/steam release valve is set to the Sealing position. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on "High" pressure setting for 22 minutes.
- When the time is up, carefully turn the valve to the venting position for a quick release. The steam will be super hot, so use a spoon or wear a mitt when turning the valve.
- Open the lid and stir until the dal is well blended and has paste-like consistency. Add water to adjust to your desired consistency. Depending on how thin you like your dal, you may have to add a bit more salt.
- Select “Less” on sauté mode and let the dal simmer. Stir every few minutes so the daal doesn’t stick or burn at the bottom. Meanwhile, get the tarka ready.
Prepare the tarka
- In a small pan, heat ghee or oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and chopped chilies. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic just starts to turn golden at the edges, don't let it brown.
- Next add the cumin seeds and let them cook for about 30 seconds. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms, add it to the tarka as well, give it a quick stir, then turn off the heat.
- Carefully pour this hot tarka over the dal in the Instant Pot. It may sizzle and that’s normal.
Final steps
- Lastly, add lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Stir and let the daal simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve with rice, naan, or roti. If reheating leftovers, you may need to add a bit of water, as the dal thickens when it cools.
Leave a Comment