Moong dal

mung lentil

The gentle lentil: light enough for the ill and the feast alike.

What it is

Moong dal is the split, skinned mung bean: pale yellow, light and among the most easily digested of pulses. It ranges from a plain, soothing everyday dal to a roasted, richer version, and even into sweets. Whole and green it is a different, skin-on ingredient.

Where it comes from

Used across the whole subcontinent, moong is the lentil reached for when lightness matters, for the young, the unwell, the everyday. Roasted before cooking, it takes on a nuttier depth; in Bengal it turns up in sweet dishes too.

What it's called

Moong dal · mung / split yellow moong (Hindi). Whole green is sabut moong / mung bean.

In the kitchen

Simmered plain and tempered for a light daily dal, or dry-roasted first for a nuttier bhaja moong; also cooked into khichuri with rice, and into sweets. Gentle and quick. The roasting step, common in Bengal, changes its character entirely.

What we know about the claims

A light, digestible plant protein: one of the most easily tolerated pulses, wholesome and gentle. No caution.

Choosing and buying

Everywhere; split yellow moong cooks quickly. Whole green mung is a separate ingredient (and the source of bean sprouts).