The bhaja moong dal is made by dry roasting the moong dal first before cooking it in a simple tempering of paanch phoron with vegetables and finally finished off with a drizzle of ghee and garam masala
The bhaja moong dal or Bengali roasted moong dal is a special lentil recipe. Special because, while the recipe itself is very simple, the dry roasting of the dal makes all the difference! Roasting brings out the nutty aroma of the skinless moong, which lingers even when cooked. This is also why a lot of weddings or special occasion menus, in Bengali homes, have this curry included. Moreover, when made with vegetables the bhaja moong dal tastes incredible. I have learnt this recipe from my thakurma or paternal grandmother. And even when in a different room, I would know what she was cooking, as the beautiful aroma of her roasting the mooger dal would waft through the whole house.
Like most Bengali vegetarian recipes, even this one is cooked without onions and garlic. Made with a simple tempering of paanch phoron and finished off with a drizzle of ghee and garam masala, this fragrant dal recipe is extraordinary. Furthermore, it will take you under 30 minutes to make as well. There are no spices, except for some grated ginger and turmeric powder, that flavour the bhaja moong dal (Bengali roasted moong dal). It is only the scent of the roasted lentils that shine through the curry. However, the vegetables also add to the taste, especially when made with the seasonal ones. Winter produce like carrots, peas and cauliflower are much loved and very popular components of this lentil curry.
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Comfort food
All that you need with this super fragrant dal is some gorom bhaat and ghee! That is, steaming hot rice dolloped with ghee. And you are then set for a soul satisfying meal. I also love the dal with big squeeze of lemon juice over it. Nonetheless, you could also serve the dal-rice with some small sides like boiled egg halves, aloo bhaja, begun bhaja, papod etc. While I enjoy my dal-bhaat simply with a wedge of lime by the side, the husband likes some roasted papod alongside. Nonetheless, we both, truly, enjoy the combination of lentils and rice immensely. In fact, this is our comfort food. And the bhaja moong dal (roasted moong dal) makes it a tad bit special! 🙂
Likewise, if you too believe that, dal and rice make for the ultimate comfort food, then you need to give this delicious Bengali recipe a try. You will be amazed at how such a simple recipe can actually be so rewarding. Also, you could make this curry on festive occasions and on days you want to avoid making foods with onion and garlic. I promise, everyone you make this dal for is going to love it.
If you happen to try my recipe out, this or any other, I’d love to hear from you. You can drop me a line of your feedback in the comments below and/or share your food pictures with me on Instagram.
Eat hearty!
Bhaja moong dal (Bengali roasted moong dal)
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup moong dal skinless, petit yellow lentils
- ½ cup peas frozen
- ½ cup carrots cut in 2 cm thick semi-circles
- 1 tbsp ginger freshly grated
- 1 tsp paanch phoron*
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 dried red chilis
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2-3 fresh chilis slit
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the dal well, air dry and then dry roast them until light pink in colour and fragrant. Be careful and keep stirring continuously so that the dal doesn't burn**
- Remove from flame and add it to a cooker. Pressure cook the roasted moong dal with 1½ cups of water, ginger, turmeric and salt
- When done remove from flame and let the cooker de-pressurise naturally. Then open it's lid and whisk the dal well so as to break it's grains and make it smooth and mushy
- Heat a shallow cooking pot with the mustard oil, until it smokes, then lower the heat and temper it with the bay leaf, dried chilis and paanch phoron
- Throw in the vegetables, mix and toss for 3-4 minutes. Cover and cook, along with 2-3 tbsp of water until 80% done
- Next, pour in the boiled dal, another ½ cup of water (to adjust the consistency if needed), sugar and let it simmer. The dal should reach a thick consistency
- Check for salt and switch the flame off once the dal has reached it's desired consistency. Drizzle over the ghee, garam masala and coriander leaves and let it sit covered for 5 minutes
- Mix well and serve the yummy bhaja moong dal (Bengali roasted moong dal) with steaming hot rice, papad and a wedge of lemon. Enjoy!
Notes
- *Paanch phoron is a Bengali whole spice mix, made by mixing equal parts of mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and onion seeds.
- **Be really watchful, otherwise the dal can quickly burn
- Cauliflower florets also go very well in this dal
- You could make this dal without any vegetables as well
- 1 cup = 250 millilitres
- tbsp - tablespoon
- tsp - teaspoon
