This healthy and nutritious Moong/Masoor dal with Carrot Greens is packed with garlicky flavours. It is light on the tummy yet loaded with protein. This daal is easy and quick to prepare and so economical! You do not need to visit an Indian restaurant for authentic tasting daal.

LASUNI MOONG DAL WITH CARROT GREENS

Carrot Greens Dal

My Dad once proudly brought home some green-topped carrots for my Mum. She then had the task of actually deciding how to use the green tops! She had the idea of adding the carrot tops to daal for added nutrition and flavour.

She used a combination of two different daals – moong and masoor (or red lentils)

The daal was super delicious and became a favourite in our house!

This daal is one of the simplest and delicious ways to incorporate green vegetable tops into your diet. Instead of carrot tops, you can certainly use other vegetable tops also.

It is:

✅Protein-packed

✅Nutritious

✅Low GI

✅Reduces waste and economical

✅Full of flavour

✅Homemade recipe – you will not find this in any Indian restaurant!

Garlic Daal

The addition of garlic in this daal is the reason it deserves a place in the title!

Usually, we would simply add crushed garlic to the masala of the dal but here we have added fried sliced garlic separate to the tempering to give an extra oomph of flavour!

Once the daal has been cooked with the onion mixture, the second tempering of sliced garlic is added and stirred through.

This is so worth doing so do not skip this step! You get a much deeper flavour.

Ingredients you will need for Carrot Top Garlic Moong Daal:

Where to find green-topped carrots?

Carrot Greens have a parsley-like flavour and can be used in a similar way to a herb.

Not every supermarket will stock carrots with green tops so you may have to do a little research before setting off! However, the end result is oh-so-worth-it!

We bought these carrots from a local supermarket – they stocked these greens in the organic section. I would suggest trying grocery stores or farmers markets.

Do red lentils and yellow lentils need to be soaked?

What is Tadka/Tarka/Tempering?

Variation

What to serve with Moong Dal

Daal is extremely versatile and can be served in a variety of manners.

Whether it is part of a complete meal or eaten on its own with some rice, daal provides maximum flavour!

A stack of Round and soft Gujarati rotlis vanishes in our house in no time when served with this daal.

For a comforting and cosy meal serve it with Ghee rice or Takeaway style Pilau Rice,

For a low-carb meal pair it with quinoa, kodri (kodo millet), or cauliflower rice.

If making this daal as a main, serve with Zucchini Sabzi,  Aloo Gobi,  Kachumber Salad and Raita on the side for a well-balanced meal idea.

The idea is to keep the daal mild if you plan on serving it with spicy food.

How long will keep this Daal in the Refrigerator? Can I make it ahead and freeze it?

You can keep this daal in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator and can freeze it for longer.

If storing in the fridge, store away from sweet products as the smell may set.

Make-ahead or make in big batch and store in an airtight container and freeze it up to 2 months. Thaw and reheat before eating it.

If a small amount is left, why not make some easy and quick Dal Paratha for breakfast!

How to make Moong Masoor Daal?

Instant Pot Curry Recipes

1. Brussels sprouts korma/curry 

2. Dum Aloo 

3. Corn on the Cob with Coconut

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Garlicky Moong-Masoor Daal with Carrot Greens

Hayley Dhanecha

Yellow Moong and Red lentils cooked with Carrot Greens and double the amount of Garlic. Healthy and Flavoursome daal tastes delicious with Hot Roti, Phulka or Rice.

4.77 from 13 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Mains, dinner, lunch

Cuisine Indian, Indian vegetarian, Gluten-free, Soy-free, Instant Pot recipe, nut- free, vegan

Servings 6

Calories 78 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ ½ cup Yellow Moong Lentils - 100g
• ▢ ½ cup Red Lentils - 100g
• ▢ 2 cup Carrot Greens washed and chopped - a big bunch
• ▢ 8-10 Cloves of Garlic thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 medium Onion chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp. Ginger and Garlic paste
• ▢ 2 Green Chillies slit or crushed
• ▢ 1 small Tomato chopped
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ 1 tsp. Red chilli powder
• ▢ ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
• ▢ 2 tsp. Ground coriander and cumin
• ▢ ¼ tsp. Garam Masala
• ▢ ½ tsp. Lemon Juice or Amchoor Powder
• ▢ Pinch Hing
• ▢ 1 tsp. Cumin seeds
• ▢ 3 tbsp. Oil
• ▢ 1 tsp. Ghee

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

Regular Pressure Cooker Method

• Wash both lentils and soak for 10-15 minutes in clean water.
• Heat one tbsp. oil in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds and hing.
• Once they crackle add both daal, carrot greens, tomato, Ginger-Garlic paste and green chillies.
• Stir well and add turmeric powder, salt and 3 cup water.
• Bring the daal to boil then close the cooker lid and cook till 3 whistles.
• Let the pressure cooker cool naturally.
• Now in another pan, heat 2 tbsp. oil and sauté onion till nice and pink.
• Add red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder and fry for few seconds.
• Add cooked daal and let it simmer for 5 minutes if daal is too thick add little water.
• Now heat ghee, add thinly sliced garlic and fry till garlic turns brown but not burnt.
• Add red chilli powder and immediately pour over the cooked daal.
• Add garam masala and lemon juice.
• Turn off the heat.
• Serve hot.
• Enjoy!

Instant pot (electric pressure cooker) method

• Wash both lentils and soak for 10-15 minutes in clean water.
• Arrange inner pot in the instant pot, select saute.
• Heat one tbsp. oil, add cumin seeds and hing.
• Once they crackle add both daal, carrot greens, tomato, Ginger-Garlic paste, and green chilies.
• Stir well and add turmeric powder, salt, and 1 1/2 cup water.
• Close the lid and select HIGH PRESSURE for 6 minutes. make sure the valve is in a sealing position.
• After 10 minutes of NPR, release the pressure manually.
• Check the daal, if it's too thick add 1 cup of water.
• Saute daal (keep the temperature low) for 6-8 minutes, meanwhile prepare the tadka (tempering) on the stove.
• In another pan heat oil, heat 2 tbsp. oil and sauté onion till nice and pink.
• Add red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder and fry for few seconds.
• Add cooked daal and let it simmer for 5 minutes if daal is too thick add little water.
• Now heat ghee (use the same pan) add thinly sliced garlic and fry till garlic turns brown but not burnt.
• Add red chilli powder and immediately pour over the cooked daal.
• Add garam masala and lemon juice.
• Turn off the heat.
• Serve hot.
• Enjoy!

Non-pressure cooker (stovetop) method

• Rinse both lentils in a strainer and soak for 25-30 minutes.
• Heat oil in the pan on medium heat, add cumin seeds and hing.
• Once cumin seeds crackle, add lentils, carrot greens, tomatoes, garlic-ginger puree, green chillies, salt and turmeric powder.
• Mix, add 2 cups of water. Bring it to boil, reduce heat and let the dal cook/simmer for 40-45 minutes.
• Keep an eye on the water level, if it dries up and needed, add 1/2 cup water.
• Once dal is cooked, it should be well done/softer and not bitey . If not, cook further 6-8 minutes.
• Next heat oil in another small pan or frying pan on a stovetop. Saute the onion until pink, add red chilli powder, cumin-coriander powder and garam masala. (you can add garam masala in the last stage if you want).
• Add in the daal.
• In the same pan (fried onion) heat ghee, brown the garlic slices, add red chilli powder and immediately add into the daal, else the red chilli powder will burn very quickly.
• Add lemon juice and serve hot.

Notes

Ensure you use fresh lentils and not the old stock. If using old lentils, give extra time to cook as they take longer time to cook. 

Soaking time changes for pressure cooker and non-pressure cooker methods. 

Make sure you use sufficient water to cook lentils,  Keep tasting your lentils as they cook to see if they're the consistency you want. 

For vegan daal omit ghee and use oil.

If pressed for time you don't need to soak the daal, just wash in clean running water and use it. (This step is only for pressure cooker method)

To keep daal less spicy use red Kashmiri chilli powder.

You may freeze the carrot greens if you are not using all of them in one go.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Garlicky Moong-Masoor Daal with Carrot Greens

Serving Size

 

1

Amount per Serving

Calories

78

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

8

g

12

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

5

g

Cholesterol

 

2

mg

1

%

Sodium

 

2

mg

0

%

Potassium

 

25

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

1

g

0

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

10

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

8

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutritional information provided is an approximation calculated by an online calculator/plugin. Please consult a professional dietitian for nutritional advice.

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Note – this recipe was originally posted on our blog on the 8th of February 2016 since I have updated the post with new content and pictures.