This Moong/Masoor dal with Carrot Greens is packed with garlicky flavours and is easy to prepare.

A bowl of Garlicky (lahsuni) Moong Massor daal with carrot greens served next to tempering bowl with a spoon.

Daal, Dal, Dahl?

Daal is a staple in Indian cuisine and can definitely be found in the weekly menu in our kitchen!

The beauty of dal is that more often than not, it is super quick to prepare and requires easy-to-find ingredients. It is budget-friendly and suitable for the whole family. Daal tends to be vegan unless it has the addition of ghee or another dairy to make it creamy. It is able to absorb an array of flavours so you can always adapt your daal to suit whatever you have around the kitchen at the time.

Daal is designed to accompany an everyday thali. Daal goes brilliantly with most vegetable curries for a complete and balanced meal. A carbohydrate such as rice and/or chapattis is a match made in heaven!

Because we eat daal so often, we're always looking for different varieties. Dhaba Style Dal Fry is special daal for a special occasion. Mixed Lentils and Suva Bhaji Daal is made from dill and makes for a wonderful mid-week meal.

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.

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:

To make Moong masoor daal in the Instant Pot you will require some basic ingredients which can be easily obtained from your local grocery stores. You don't have to pay a visit to any ethnic store.

1. Lentils - here we are using a combination of two lentils, Moong and Masoor. Moong is yellow coloured daal and Masoor is red coloured daal (without skin and split). When they are combined in one recipe, magic happens!

2. Vegetables - we have used fresh carrot greens. Make sure they are bruise-free and rinse them well before adding to the daal.

Along with carrot greens, you will need fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies. You may use frozen or bottled ginger-garlic paste.

Canned or tinned tomatoes work well too.

3. Spices - we are using four basic Indian spices powders, known as masala too. Red chilli powder, Turmeric powder, Ground cumin and coriander powder and garam masala.

Use Kashmiri red chilli powder for a milder taste and for colour.

4. Tadka/Tempering - In this recipe, we are making three tadka and for these steps, we will need oil, ghee, cumin seeds and hing. Hing is a yellow powder known as asafoetida. Hing is optional.

5. Seasoning - salt, lemon juice

A man holding green-topped carrots in a basket.

Do red lentils and yellow lentils need to be soaked?

No. As there is no outer tougher shell and they are small in size, the lentils cook quickly so if you don't want to soak it's fine. It is still a good idea to rinse the dal/lentils in a strainer before using it to get rid of any dirt/dust or any other impurities.

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,

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?

Follow these instructions to make daal in the Instant Pot, for the regular pressure cooker method, non-pressure cooker (stovetop) and exact measurements in the metric and imperial check recipe card below.

Step by step pictures of Moong Masoor Daal in the Instant pot

1. Rinse both lentils in a strainer and soak for 10-12 minutes. (skip the soaking step if pressed for time)

2. Saute - Heat oil in the pot, add cumin seeds and hing.

3. Once cumin seeds crackle, add lentils, carrot greens, tomatoes, garlic-ginger puree, green chillies, salt and turmeric powder.

4. Mix, add water. Close the lid and pressure cook for 6 minutes.

5. 10 minutes NPR, check the daal, add water if it is thick.

6.Saute for 6-8 minutes.

7. Meanwhile heat oil in another 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).

8. Add in the daal.

9. In the same pan 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.

10. Add lemon juice and serve hot.

Garlicky (Lahsuni) Moong-Masoor Daal with Carrot Greens served in a bowl, bowl placed on a plate with spoon next to green kitchen towel

Liked this Instant Pot Garlicky Moong Masoor Daal? You may enjoy our other Instant Currys and Daal recipes too.

Instant Pot Daal Recipes

1. Sultani Daal

2. Daal Makhani

3. Gujarati Chana Daal

Instant Pot Curry Recipes

1. Brussels sprouts korma/curry

2. Dum Aloo

3. Corn on the Cob with Coconut

Garlicky Moong-Masoor Daal with Carrot Greens

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

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.

Course Mains, dinner, lunch

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

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings

Author Hayley Dhanecha

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

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

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 ½ 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 ½ 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.

Video

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

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

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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.

Comments

Melisa says

August 10, 2023 at 11:34 pm

We grew carrots in the garden this year and this was the perfect recipe for them. Delicious and nutritional. I also used the onions from the garden. I paired this with honey glazed garden carrots and garlic naan. Super delicious 😋

Michelle Marcotte says

February 19, 2023 at 1:35 am

Excellent! I have never before added carrot greens to anything and yet, they made this the best dal ever! Thank you for posting.

KT says

October 05, 2022 at 3:49 am

Delicious, nutritious and all the veggies were from my garden. The carrot tops added a lovely depth. I did enjoy this dish very much. Many thanks!

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Garlic Moong-Masoor Daal with Carrot Greens