Mung Bean Curry (Green Moong Bean Dal)

4.75 from 8 votes

This mung bean curry recipe is a flavorful, vegan green moong bean dal with warming Indian spice you can make on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 340kcal

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. Toast them for 30 seconds, stirring them constantly.
Add the garlic, ginger, and red chili. Continue to stir them for another 30 seconds.
Mix in the tomatoes and ground spices. Break up any large pieces of tomatoes. Stir the bottom of the pot to clear it. Simmer the tomatoes for about 5 minutes.
Add 5 cups of water and clear the bottom of the pot again. Add the mung beans. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover the pot.
Add 5 cups of water and the mung beans. Stir them about so they are not just in one place. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
Cook the mung beans for 30-35 minutes until they are tender.
Stir in coconut milk, chopped cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime.
Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and add more lime juice if desired.
Taste and add more lime juice or salt to taste.

Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode with normal heat. Add the cumin and black mustard seeds and toast them, stirring for 30 seconds.
Add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and mix them with the seeds for about 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes and ground spices. Let the tomatoes simmer for about 5 minutes.
Turn the Instant Pot off. Add 3 ¾ cups water and stir the bottom of the pot to clean it.
Stir in the mung beans and place the lid on the Instant Pot. Close the steam handle and cook the mung beans on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
Allow about 20 minutes for natural pressure release.
Remove the lid, then stir in the coconut milk, cilantro, and lime juice.

Black mustard seeds can be tricky to find. Substitute with brown mustard seeds, yellow (white) mustard seeds, or ½ a teaspoon of yellow mustard powder.
Be sure you have all the ingredients ready through the point where you add the water and mung beans. You don’t want to risk burning the spices.
If you use whole rather than crushed tomatoes, you may need to dice or puree them before adding them to the pot. Be sure to add the juice.
The total cooking time for the beans may vary depending on the age of the mung beans and the cooking heat. Mung beans do not require soaking.
Add a few cups of fresh or frozen spinach to green up this dish. Thaw and press excess water from frozen so it doesn't dilute the curry flavors. Add it with the coconut milk.
I’ve not tested this recipe with split mung beans (green gram). If you use them instead of whole beans, the texture will be different.
Store leftover mung bean curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This is also a freezer-friendly recipe.
If you discover the curry is too thin, the best course of action is to continue simmering it for another 10 minutes. Another option is to remove a cup of the curry, blend it, and return it to the pot. The curry will thicken a little as it cools.
Instead of coconut milk, add 1 ½ cups of plant milk with a few drops of coconut extract, or see my list of vegan coconut milk substitutes.