Moong Bean Curry

Name: Moong Bean Curry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: Gujarati
Ingredients: 1 cup Whole Green Moong Bean (Mung Bean); Water 2-3 cups for soaking and steaming.; 1½ tbsp Avocado or Grapeseed Oil; 3-4 Cloves; ½ Cinnamon Stick; 8–10 Whole Black Peppercorns; 1 tsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds); ¼ tsp Hing (Asafoetida); 1 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder; 1 tsp Haldi Powder (Turmeric); 1 tbsp Dhaniya Powder (Coriander); Salt as per taste; 2 pieces Black Dry Kokum (Dry Jungle Plum)

Traditional Moong Bean Curry is a super easy and nutritionally balanced recipe. You can have it either as breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. Combine the classic recipe with khakara or plain rice of your choice for a complete meal.

Recipe by Krina Shah

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 30 min
Setting: 20 min
Cuisine: Gujarati

Ingredients

1 cup Whole Green Moong Bean (Mung Bean)
Water 2-3 cups for soaking and steaming.

For Tempering

1½ tbsp Avocado or Grapeseed Oil
3-4 Cloves
½ Cinnamon Stick
8–10 Whole Black Peppercorns
1 tsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
¼ tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
1 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Haldi Powder (Turmeric)
1 tbsp Dhaniya Powder (Coriander)
Salt as per taste
2 pieces Black Dry Kokum (Dry Jungle Plum)

Method

Take whole moong bean in a pressure cooker, wash and rinse with clean water two-three times.
Then soak the moong in clean water. (Ratio to soak moong is 1:3, i.e., 1 cup moong to 3 cups water) Let it soak for about 15-20 minutes.
Cover the pressure cooker lid, and place it on the stovetop. Let it cook for 2-3 whistles. Approximately 15-20 minutes.
Turn off the stove and allow the pressure cooker to cool down.
Let's get the saucepan or cast iron kadai ready for tempering.
Heat the oil in the pan to low to medium (not smokey hot) - add cloves, cinnamon sticks, and whole black peppers.
After a few seconds, add jeera, hing, and haldi powder and cook for 30 seconds.
Once it starts sizzling, then add boiled moong beans.
Add red chili powder, dhaniya powder, and salt. Mix it up, check the water consistency, and add another cup of water if there is no or less water.
Add the kokum and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Moong Bean curry has a medium-thick consistency. If desired, you can keep thin consistency by adding water.

Notes

Tips and Alternative: If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can soak moong beans for 30-45 minutes and let them boil in a saucepan for 20-25 minutes. Another option is using an Instant Pot, which will decrease the cooking time. For Kashmiri red chili powder, this chili powder is high on color and less on spiciness, so you can adjust with any type of chili powder and to your taste. I prefer mild to medium spicy.