The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

This light and nourishing ginger lime moong dal has a healing touch. Excellent for days when you want to soothe a sore throat.

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Mixed legumes cooked with whole spices and fresh fenugreek, topped with a rich ghee-garlic tadka. Panchmel dal is one of those rare dishes that are complex and, at the same time, comforting.

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Not too long ago, the mention of sundal outside of south India would be met with quizzical stares. Times are changing – this simple boiled legume dish is gaining traction far and wide for its health benefits, compatibility with special diets (vegan, Jain), and ease of making.

Sundal can be made with various types of legumes – chickpeas or peanuts for example. This recipe uses a very light and easily digested legume: yellow moong dal.

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Moong dal pairs well with gourds: my much-clicked recipe of ridge gourd moong dal is ample proof of that. This recipe combines moong dal with another similar gourd – the zucchini – with some green leafy goodness added to the mix. It’s homey, light and lemony, the kind that inspires coinages such as “comfort food”.
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Sundal is a simple legume preparation from south India – a style of cooking in which boiled legumes are tempered with spiced oil and fresh coconut. The sattvic ingredient profile of sundal makes it a popular prasadam (i.e. blessed by the Gods) dish. During the nine days of Navarathri, south Indian homes traditionally offer sundal to their guests, prepared with a different legume each day.

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Hare moong ka cheela (savory green gram pancake) is a richer variation of the yellow moong ka cheela. The process of making the cheela remains the same, except that the base lentil in this one changes from the light yellow moong bean to the more potent green gram (moong bean).

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Pumpkin and moong dal hit it off beautifully together. Mild to taste, the two have the capacity to combine a wide array of flavors very well. This recipe of pumpkin moong dal makes the most of this attribute, with its luxurious use of curry leaves and masalas.

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