Whole Moong Dal Subzi

I call this my back-up recipe. Its for those days when you are tired and forgot to plan on what to make for dinner or when you have guests and you want to add another dish to the menu but don't want to slog for it or if you only have onions and tomatoes in your vegetable tray and don't want to make chutney. 

I was a bit apprehensive when I saw this recipe on Manisha's Indian Food Rocks. What? No soaking the moong beans overnight?? Doesn't this go against the law of the beans?? But that's the beauty of the dish. Simple, quick and yes - no soaking time.  The only thing you will need is a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time. This recipe is a faithful representation of the original. The only difference is I used ginger-garlic paste instead of grated ginger and garlic and sometimes increase the red chilly powder or  add marathi moggu while seasoning. 

Whole Moong Dal Subzi

Recipe Source: Indian Food Rocks Blog

Serving Size - Serves 2

Ingredients:

Whole Moong Dal (Pacha Payaru) - 1 cup

Onion - 1, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1t

Green Chillies - 2

Dried Red Chilly - 1, broken

Cinnamon - 1/2 stick

Cloves - 3

Bay Leaf (Briyani leaf)  - 1

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Cumin Seeds - 1t

Marathi Moggu (Dried Capers) - 1, optional

Red Chilly Powder - 1t

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t

Ghee - 2 T

Coriander leaves - for garnish

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, marathi moggu, broken red chilly,cumin and asafoetida.

2. Add chopped onions and fry well.

3. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.

4. Add tomatoes, green chillies and turmeric and fry well.

5. Add the washed and drained moong dal and mix well.

6. Add 4 cups of water and the red chilly powder and salt and mix well.

7. Close the lid and pressure cook for 4 whistles.

8. Switch off the stove and wait for the pressure cooker to use up all the pressure and the pressure valve indicates that its safe to open.

9. Open the cooker and check for salt and spice. Adjust salt or red chilly powder and heat the gravy till the raw smell (if you have added red chilly powder) goes.

10.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rotis.

Notes:

• Using ghee instead of oil adds a lovely flavor to this dish. 
• You can use soaked moong dal as well. But you dont have to pressure cook in that case.

P.S - As this dish was not planned ahead, I clicked the pics when I made it for dinner last night. Hence the poor lighting!