As I raise my girls, it has become very important to me that they keep connected to their roots and one of the ways I do this is through food. Lucky for me, they both love the typical comfort food fare of “Dal Chawal” or Lentils and Rice. A twist on the traditional Moong Dal Fry, this recipe adds zucchini and is low in calorie but nutrient dense.
Ready in just 15 minutes, this has become my latest go to recipe when I’m tight on time. Because moong dal cooks very quickly, I don’t soak them for more than 20 minutes.
Nutrition is also very important when I’m serving this dish as a main meal to the girls, and this dish doesn’t disappoint.
1 cup of zucchini moong dal gives you:
- 156 kcal
- 8.7 gm protein
- 7 gm fiber
As to cooking it over the stove versus the instant pot, traditionally, the dal was boiled first then added to the spices. I love just using one pot to make the whole dish so I usually add the uncooked dal into the spices/gravy mix then cook it in the instant pot.
I hope you get a chance to try out this delicious recipe and enjoy it as much as my family does.
Zucchini Moong Dal
Ingredients
- 1 c yellow moong dal, rinsed
- 2 c water for cooking
- 1 c zucchini, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 small tomatoes, chopped
- 1" ginger knob, grated
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
For tempering:
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 dried red chili
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and add oil.
- Once it is heated, add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
- When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add the onions, garlic, and ginger and saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions have become translucent.
- Add tomatoes, turmeric, cayenne, cumin, coriander, and salt. Mix well and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the washed dal and water. Mix well.
- Press Cancel and close the lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 4 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then release the pressure manually (5 minute NPR).
- Once the pressure is released and you have opened the lid, in a tempering pan, heat oil. When it is heated through, add cayenne powder and dried red chili. When it starts to sizzle, add chili oil to cooked dal. Squeeze in lemon juice and give it a good stir.
- Serve hot with Rice, Naan, or Roti.
Looking for more lentil/dal recipes? I’ve got you covered. Check out some of these amazing dishes:
Sprouted Moong Beans Sabzi Gujarati Style
Spinach Dal
Instant Pot Kali Dal
Adai Waffles / Lentil Waffles
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
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