Golden, sweet yellow moong dal is roasted, tempered in whole spices and cooked with a handful of vegetables for a dish that soothes and satiates.
There is a joy in simplicity, after all, it is the simple things that make your heart sing in delight. And that, my dear friends, is an attempt to express the depth of emotion and devotion I feel towards the Yellow Moong Dal with Vegetables.
The Yellow Moong Dal with Vegetables is one of those Bengali dishes that uses minimal spices and aromatics, thus allowing the hero β the roasted yellow moong dal β to shine. The addition of fresh vegetables bumps up the nutrition value and lets you serve the dal as a main course with steaming hot rice and a bhaja (fried vegetables or fish) on the side.
Another USP of this particular dish is that it comes together in a relatively short time, especially if you put it together in a pressure cooker, which is what we prefer to do.

Do let me know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment and donβt forget to tag me on Instagram at from.the.corner.table and hashtag it #fromthecornertable. Iβd love to see it β€οΈ
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- ΒΎ cup Yellow moong dal
- Β½ cup Green peas
- Β½ cup Potato (cubed/diced)
- Β½ cup Carrot (cubed/diced)
- 1 Green chilli
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- Β½ inch Ginger (crushed)
- Β½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 2-3 Cloves
- 2-3 Cardamom pods
- Β½ stick Cinnamon
- 1 Bay leaf
- Salt (to taste)
- ΒΌ teaspoon Sugar
- Β½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Red chilli powder (to taste)
- 4 cups Water
- Peel and cube/dice the carrots and potato and set aside.
- Slit the green chilli lengthwise, crush the ginger and keep ready.
- In a kadhai/pan, dry roast the yellow moong dal until fragrant. Stir constantly to avoid the dal from burning. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
- Pour the roasted yellow moong dal into a bowl and set aside to cool.
- In a pressure cooker, heat ghee.
- Add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon and bay leaf. Stir fry till fragrant.
- Add the crushed ginger, green chilli, potato and carrot.
- Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly brown at the edges.
- Add the yellow moong dal and green peas into the cooker. If you are a cleanliness maniac like me, wash the roasted yellow moong dal before you dump it into the cooker.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder if using it and salt.
- Pour in 3 cups of water and stir well.
- Close the pressure cooker and let the dal cook for up to three whistles.
- Gradually release the cookerβs steam.
- Open and stir the dal gently to avoid breaking the cooked vegetables.
- Check the seasoning and the consistency β a thicker dal pairs well with breads like roti, paratha, luchi or naan. A slightly soupy dal is best for rice.
- To adjust the consistency, add warm water and gently stir the dal.