This Dal Mughlai is a rich and comforting dish. It is made with tomato-yogurt-based gravy, infused with Indian spices, and garnished with crispy fried onions (Birista). Its creamy, buttery, and flavorful taste makes it ideal for festive dinners, gatherings, or weekend meals, providing a warm and satisfying experience. It pairs perfectly with Jeera rice, Naan, Paratha, and Tandoori roti. Try to make this shahi dal this festive season; it will impress your taste buds and elevate your Diwali celebrations.
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Lentils and legumes have been an integral part of my diet. In India, we eat lentils/dal pretty much every day, and in my house, there was never a day when there was no dal on the table.
Of all the legumes and dals, my favorite is the Whole Moong. Moong is wholesome, easy to digest, protein-packed, and delicious. We can use it in sabzi, dal, salads, dosas, and chillas.
I love moong beans in any form. I grew up eating whole moong at least once a week. We love to have simple but delicious dry moong for breakfast with Khakhra. After Jain fasting, having mung beans for breakfast the next day is a must.
Given that dal is a fundamental component of daily meals in nearly every Indian home, it should be elevated from its everyday form when prepared for special events.
Today, as part of our ongoing Diwali recipe series, I’m excited to share a detailed and flavorful recipe for Dal Mughlai.
This recipe is inspired by Mughlai cuisine. Mughlai meals are rich and decadent. It is a diverse style of cooking that originated in the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal era. It’s known for using aromatic spices and a rich, creamy base.
Why You Will Love This Dal?
The dish has a restaurant-style quality, combining the familiarity of comfort food with a satisfying flavor profile. It boasts a rich and creamy texture, with flavors that delight the palate. Additionally, the dal is an excellent protein source packed with essential nutrients, making it a wholesome choice. What’s more, it can be easily prepared using basic pantry staples, adding to its convenience. Its versatility shines through as it complements a wide range of Indian dishes, making it a great addition to any festive meal.
Ingredients
- Sabut Moong (Whole Green Gram): These versatile moong beans pack a punch of health benefits and are one of the best plant-based protein sources. They are easily available in Indian stores and on Amazon, making them a convenient and nutritious addition to your diet.
- Ghee: I prefer to cook this dal using ghee for its unique nutty taste that enhances the flavors. However, you can use oil or butter as a substitute. The choice is yours, but the nutty richness of ghee is worth a try.
- Birista: To make a barista, we will need sliced onions and oil. To make the process shorter and easier, you can also use ready-made fried onions.
- Whole Spices: I used a few whole spices, such as green cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaves. After the dal is cooked, discard the bay leaf, cardamom, and cinnamon stick.
- Ground Spices: We need only a few pantry staple ground spices, such as turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, hing, and garam masala. Please remember that the Kashmiri red chili powder used here is not hot. If you want the dal to be spicier, you can replace half of it with regular chili powder.
- Curd/Yogurt: Use plain yogurt and whisk it well before adding to the pan. Make sure it’s not too sour.
- Kasoori Methi: to elevate the flavors of the dal.
- Cream: The dal is naturally rich with the creaminess of moong. However, adding cream makes it more decadent and luscious. You can skip the cream if you want.
- Cilantro Leaves: Use freshly chopped cilantro leaves for more flavor.
- Aromatics: The key to a flavorful dal is using fresh aromatics like onion, ginger, and garlic.
- Cilantro: Of course, a good amount of cilantro is a must for me in dal, and this recipe is no exception.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Take the whole moong into a large bowl & wash it using water a couple of times until the added water stays clear, then cover it and let it soak for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Step 1: Once moong is soaked, discard the water and take it into a pressure cooker; add 2 cups of water, cover the pressure cooker, and pressure cook the dal over medium-high flame for two whistles. Then switch off the flame & let the cooker depressurize naturally. Note: Moong should be fully cooked and stay intact for the best texture.
Step 2: Set a heavy-bottom pot or kadhai over high heat, add oil and ghee, and let it get hot. Then add cumin seeds, black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Saute for 10 seconds. Add ginger, garlic, green chili, and onions, stir well, and cook over medium until the onion turns light golden brown.
Step 3: Then, lower the flame and add chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, and hing. Mix and immediately add ½ cup of hot water. Stir and increase the flame. Cook the spices for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4: Now add the whisked curd and stir it continuously. Cook until the oil gets separated.
Step 5: Once the oil separates, add the boiled whole moong dal and stir well. Add 2 ½ cups of water and adjust the consistency. The dal will thicken up as it cooks further. Mix well again, cover the pot, and let the dal cook for 18 to 20 minutes on medium to high heat. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, let’s prepare Birista (fried onion).
Step 6: Set a frying pan over a high flame and heat oil to fry the onions. Heat the oil until it gets moderately hot. Add the sliced onions into the oil and fry them until golden brown. Once the onions are almost about to turn light golden brown, remove them from the hot oil for minutes & your birista is ready.
Step 7: Take about 70% of the fried onions(birista), crush a little with your hands, and add it to the dal, along with fresh cream, butter, kasuri methi powder, and garam masala. Stir well.
Step 8: Switch off the flame and fresh cilantro and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Your Dal Mughlai is ready. Serve it with Tandoori roti (or any Indian bread of your choice) or Jeera rice. Enjoy.
Serving suggestion
Serve this restaurant-style Mughlai Dal with various Indian flatbreads, such as Phulka, Plain Tawa Paratha, Lachha Paratha, Plain Naan, Garlic Naan, missi roti, Tandoori Roti, or any other bread that you prefer. It goes perfectly well with plain or Jeera Rice (Restaurant Style). However, you can have this dal as a side dish with vegetable curry or Paneer Curry for a larger meal.
Storage
Fridge: Mughlai Dal can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat the dal before serving, and add more water if the consistency seems thicker and dry.
Freezer: This dal can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze it in a single portion. When it comes to reheating, cook it from frozen in the microwave until it is piping hot. You may like to add a few tablespoons of water to avoid it drying out too much. Alternatively, you can defrost and reheat in a pan until piping hot.
Top tip
- Soak mung beans for at least 6-8 hours or overnight. This helps them cook faster and more evenly.
- Pressure cook the moong until soft and thoroughly cooked but still intact. Pressing them with a finger lets you mash them easily without resistance. However, you can cook in the Instant Pot instead of a pressure cooker.
- You will get the best flavors of this dal if you cook it on medium heat for a long time, you will get the best flavors of this dal,
- Be generous when using butter and cream- this is not a recipe to cut down on fat. The butter and cream are essential.
- Mughlai Dal will thicken upon cooking and simmering, so add water to adjust the desired consistency.
- To make it vegan, use oil instead of ghee. Instead of yogurt, you can use cashew paste or non-dairy cream.
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Dal Mughlai
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole green moong
- 2 cups of water
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 cloves
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ tablespoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi
- 300 grams onion thinly sliced
- oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup curd dahi/plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup onion, finely chopped
- pinch of hing
Method
- Take the whole moong into a large bowl & wash it using water a couple of times until the added water stays clear, then cover it and let it soak for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Once moong is soaked, discard the water and take it into a pressure cooker; add 2 cups of water, cover the pressure cooker, and pressure cook the dal over medium-high flame for two whistles. Then switch off the flame & let the cooker depressurize naturally.
- Note: Moong should be fully cooked and stay intact for the best texture.
- Set a heavy bottom pot or kadhai over high heat, add oil and ghee, and let it get hot.
- Then add cumin seeds, black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Saute it for 10 seconds.
- Add ginger, garlic, green chili, and onions, stir well & cook over medium until the onion turns light golden brown.
- Then, lower the flame and add chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, and hing. Mix and immediately add ½ cup of hot water. Stir and increase the flame. Cook the spices for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now add the whisked curd and stir it continuously. Cook until the oil gets separated.
- Once the oil separates, add the boiled whole moong dal and stir well. Add 2 ½ cups of water and adjust the consistency. The dal will thicken up as it cooks further. Mix well again, cover the pot, and let the dal cook for 18 to 20 minutes on medium to high heat. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, let’s prepare Birista (fried onion).
- Set a frying pan over a high flame and heat oil to fry the onions. Heat the oil until it gets moderately hot.
- Add the sliced onions into the oil and fry them until golden brown. While stirring them frequently, you must adjust the flame as the onions change color quickly.
- Note – make sure that the temperature is not too high, or else the onions will fry from the outside but will maintain their moisture, which will result in soggy birista.
- Once the onions are almost about to turn light golden brown, remove them from the hot oil and transfer the fried onions onto a tissue paper-lined plate. Spread them apart.
- Let the fried onions rest for a couple of minutes & your birista is ready.
- Let’s get back to the dal.
- Open the lid of the dal pot, stir it well, and check its consistency. Add water if it requires.
- Take about 70% of the fried onions(birista), crush a little with your hands, and add it to the dal, along with fresh cream, butter, kasuri methi powder, and garam masala. Stir well.
- Switch off the flame, add cilantro and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Your Dal Mughlai is ready. Garnish it with some more cilantro, the remaining 30% of the fried onions, and serve it with Tandoori roti (or any Indian bread of your choice) or Jeera rice. Enjoy.
Nutrition
Notes
- Soak mung beans for at least 6-8 hours or overnight. This helps them cook faster and more evenly.
- Pressure cook the moong until soft and thoroughly cooked but still intact. Pressing them with a finger lets you mash them easily without resistance. However, you can cook in the Instant Pot instead of a pressure cooker.
- You will get the best flavors of this dal if you cook it on medium heat for a long time, you will get the best flavors of this dal,
- Be generous when using butter and cream- this is not a recipe to cut down on fat. The butter and cream are essential.
- Mughlai Dal will thicken upon cooking and simmering, so add water to adjust the desired consistency.
- To make it vegan, use oil instead of ghee. Instead of yogurt, you can use cashew paste or non-dairy cream.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know We would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave your comments, ratings, and any ideas or changes you think could help us make our recipes even better. Thank you for your feedback!Warm Regards,
Dhwani.
Thanks for recipe.
Add 70% of the fried onions, what happens with the leftover 30%?
Rest 30% for garnishing.
In the recipe you use hing and curds but don’t mention quantity, not in ingredients list.