Say Moong Daal and most people say ‘meh’. The general impression, especially in Northern India, or as depicted in Bollywood movies is that yellow moong daal belongs in the sick room. Well, I say it doesn’t!

As you know, #30daysofdaal is all about cooking one tasty Indian daal recipe every day in June and blogging about it. Don’t worry if you missed any earlier post. Just click #30daysofdaal to read all the yum daal recipes here.

I kicked off this month long project with everyone’s favorite Daal Tadka. And I will let you discover the rest.

This particular moong daal recipe is very common in my kitchen. It balances out any spicy vegetables or curries, or gives some comfort to the soul when we have had enough of eating out or experimenting with recipes for the blog. Believe me, that happens a lot. Not every recipe I try out ends up here, you know.

This yellow moong daal recipe is another example of how simple Indian food can be. You can make it with ghee or vegetable oil, but adding a dollop of ghee is a must. Simple daal and rice is generally served with Indian pickles on the side. My turmeric pickle will be really good here, and not just because of its therapeutic properties. It is very easy to procure Indian pickles in Asian grocery stores, or you can also just order them off Amazon. Try different types because there is a wide variety.

This daal is garlicky and it always reminds me of the super thin daal we got in the college mess. College canteens and messes in general are not very likable or popular in India. No way anyone will gain a ‘Freshman 50’ here. So thin daal is an oft repeated joke amongst kids who live away from home. And it is a permanent topic when oldies like us start talking about the ‘good old college days’.

Thin Daal is also a poster child of inflation in India. Lower income families generally have to do with thin daal, because they literally stretch it out. Thickness of the prepared daal is generally taken to be an indication of economic status. These are just some vagaries of life in India, or Indian culture. I guess these are not the things one talks about on travel posters.

So anyway, let us just check out the recipe here. And you can make the daal as brothy or stewy as you like it.

Yellow Moong Daal Recipe

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The simple yellow moong daal is the true taste of everyday life in India. Try it. Let me know what you think.