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Green moong dal soup also known as lentil soup is a healthy, nutritious soup made using whole green gram / sabut green moong dal. This is a vegan, diabetic-friendly, heart-friendly, nutritious, protein-packed recipe.
This is an Indian-style lentil soup recipe that is tempered with cumin seeds. It is also called dal soup or dhal soup.
Dal/lentils are a staple food in India. Dal is prepared almost every day for meals and served along with rice or roti. Dal is considered to be the main source of protein for many vegetarians.
Apart from making normal dal for meals, lentils are also used to make soup by adding a variety of vegetables and green leafy vegetables.
Green moong dal soup / lentil soup is one such comforting and nourishing lentil soup that is easy to make and keeps you full for a longer period of time.
Making moong dal soup is very easy. This can be done in a pressure cooker on the stovetop or in an instant pot or electric cooker too. This lentil soup makes a perfect appetizer or starter.
Lentil soups are versatile, you can easily tweak the recipes according to your preference by adding different kinds of lentils like yellow mung lentils, red lentils or black chickpeas along with herbs and spices that are available to you.
You will find varieties of lentil soups that are simmered with vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes or green leafy vegetables. Including lentil soups in your diet is a good way to add some protein, especially for plant-based diets and vegetarian diets.
This soup makes a perfect snack for evenings or as a light meal for dinner. This is a no-onion no garlic recipe.
The best part of making lentil soup is that they are low in calories, rich in minerals, rich in protein and high in fibre. Making it an ideal dish for weight watchers and heart patients. This soup is easy to digest and rich in antioxidants too.
I have kept this recipe very simple using just a hand full of ingredients. The main spice that I have used here is cumin seeds. To oomph up the taste, I have used mixed Italian herbs.
Just a simple tempering of cumin seeds adds a subtle flavour to this delicious soup along with a dash of freshly squeezed lemon which adds a nice depth to this dish.
This soup gets a wonderfully creamy texture due to the addition of green moong lentils (dal) without even adding cream or coconut milk.
You may use masoor dal (red lentils) / whole brown lentils (sabut masoor dal) / yellow moong dal as per your choice. If you like, you can mix a variety of lentils together to make this soup instead of using just one lentil.
Including legumes & pulses in everyday meals is a great way of including proteins when on a plant-based diet to get your daily intake of necessary nutrients.
Ingredients required to make this healthy Moong Dal Soup
Green Moong Dal / Green Gram Lentils: I used whole green moong dal that I soaked in water overnight and pressure cooked till they were tender.
Spices: I have used black pepper powder for that hint of spice along with a teaspoon of cumin seeds which adds a beautiful flavour to this dish.
Seasoning: I used table salt to season and a dash of lemon juice which adds a nice depth to this soup. Also, I have garnished this soup with mixed Italian herbs to give it a nice refreshing taste and flavour.
Water: To adjust the consistency of the soup.
Oil: I used just half a teaspoon of sunflower oil for tempering.
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Let’s see how to make moong dal soup / green gram lentil soup with minimal staple ingredients in your home kitchen.
- 2 cups Whole Green Moong Lentils / Dal
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder (Freshly crushed taste best)
- 2 teaspoons Mixed Italian Herbs
- Salt to taste
- Lemon Juice as per taste
- Water to adjust the consistency of the soup
- 1/2 teaspoon Oil for tempering
- Coriander leaves finely chopped (to garnish)
How To Make Green Moong Dal Soup / Lentil Soup
- To make this nutritious soup the first thing to do is to soak the green gram lentils / moong dal for about 8 hours or overnight.
- So, in a deep bowl or saucepan, add green moong lentils and 4 cups of water. Cover the pan/bowl and let the moong lentils soak for 8 hours or overnight.
- These moong lentils double in size when soaked hence use a big pan or bowl to soak the lentils.
- Once soaked, drain the water and rinse the lentil under running tap water.
- Pressure cook the moong dal using 3 cups water for 4-5 whistles. Allow the steam to escape naturally before opening the cooker lid.
- Cool this dal to lukewarm or room temperature. Add the cooked moong lentil in the blender along with the water in which it was cooked and blend to a very fine paste.
- Transfer this blended lentil paste into a saucepan. Add water as per the soup consistency you require.
Note: As this soup cooks it thickens in consistency hence add water accordingly.
- Add one teaspoon of black pepper powder along with salt and hing (asafoetida). Mix well.
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- Keep on stirring the soup as it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. Using laded try and remove the white foam that comes on top.
- Meanwhile, let’s make tadka / tempering. In a tadka pan heat half teaspoon of oil. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them sizzle till golden brown.
- Pour this tempering over the soup and mix. Cook on a medium flame for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add a teaspoon of mixed Italian herbs. Simmer the soup for another 3 minutes.
- Green moong dal soup/lentil soup is ready to serve.
- Garnish moong dal soup / lentil soup with finely chopped coriander, herbs and squeeze lemon juice while serving.
Note:
You can refrigerate this soup for 3-4 days. Heat before serving.
Detailed Recipe
Green Moong Dal Soup – Lentil Soup
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker You can use Instat pot too
- 1 Mixer Grinder
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Green Moong Lentils
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/4th tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
- 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder
- 1/2 tsp Oil for tempering
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice (per serving)
- Mixed Herbs (To garnish)
- 2 cups Water (To cook the lentils)
Instructions
- Soak the green gram lentils / moong dal for about 8 hours or overnight.
- In a deep bowl or saucepan, add green moong lentils and 4 cups of water. Cover the pan/bowl and let the moong lentils soak for 8 hours or overnight.
- Moong lentils double in size when soaked hence use a big pan or bowl to soak the lentils.
- Once soaked, drain the water and rinse the lentil under running tap water.
- Pressure cook the moong dal using 3 cups water for 4-5 whistles. Allow the steam to escape naturally before opening the cooker lid.
- Cool this dal to lukewarm or room temperature. Add the cooked moong lentil in the blender along with the water in which it was cooked and blend to a very fine paste.
- Transfer this blended lentil paste into a saucepan. Add water as per the soup consistency you require.
- Add one teaspoon of black pepper powder along with salt and hing (asafoetida). Mix well.
- Keep on stirring the soup as it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. Using laded try and remove white foam that comes on top.
- For tempering / tadka: In a tadka pan heat half teaspoon of oil. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them sizzle till golden brown.
- Pour this tempering over the soup and mix. Cook on a medium flame for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Green moong dal soup/lentil soup is ready to serve.
- Garnish moong dal soup / lentil soup with finely chopped coriander and squeeze lemon juice while serving.
