Moong Dal
Also known as: yellow mung dal, moong, ムングダル
What Moong Dal is
The small yellow dal that cooks faster than anything else on the shelf: split, skinless mung beans that soften in minutes and sit easily in the stomach, which is why it is the dal fed to children, the unwell and anyone breaking a long day's fast. It is also half of khichdi, rice-and-dal comfort food at its plainest.
Mung beans (Vigna radiata), harvested dry and split in a mill, then washed free of the green husk — the finished grain is small, flat and yolk-yellow. The whole bean with its skin on is sold separately as whole moong, green and glossy; both forms are the same plant. Moong has been grown in South Asia for thousands of years and, once split, needs neither soaking nor long cooking.
Taste and texture
Gently sweet and clean, with less earthiness than toor or masoor. Cooked just done it is soft but intact; a few minutes more it collapses into a smooth purée. It is the lightest-tasting common dal, which is exactly why the tempering — cumin, ginger, asafoetida — carries the dish.
Forms to buy
- Split, skinless (dhuli moong) — The standard yellow dal; no soaking, cooks in 10–15 minutes.
- Whole green (sabut moong) — Skin-on whole beans for sprouting and whole-moong dals; needs an overnight soak.
How to cook it
Rinse, then pressure-cook 1 cup with 3 cups water for 2–3 whistles, or simmer covered 20–25 minutes. Salt only after the grain softens. For khichdi, cook equal parts moong and basmati with extra water until porridge-soft, then finish with ghee, cumin and a pinch of asafoetida. A light tadka of cumin and ginger in ghee suits it better than heavy onion masalas. Whole green moong needs an overnight soak and roughly twice the cooking time.
Buying note
Typically ¥400–¥700 per kilogram at Indian grocers in Japan. The split dal should be uniformly pale yellow; grey or chalky grains and a dusty bag mean old stock. Whole moong should look glossy green, not olive-drab.