Moong Dal – Health Benefits, Nutrition & Recipes

Moong dal is one of the most popular vegetarian superfoods. It is rich in high-quality proteins and other essential nutrients. The high protein content contributes to building and repairing tissues and building muscles, bones, cartilage, blood, and skin.

A 100 g serving of cooked moong dal can provide you with about 6 g protein. It also contains some amounts of vitamin E, C, and K. An integral part of the Indian diet; it is incredibly light and easy to digest. Compared to other dals, this yellow dal is low in carbs, making it a healthier option.

Table of Contents

• Moong Dal Benefits
• Nutritional Value of Moong Dal
• Preparation of Moong Dal
• Moong Dal Recipes

Moong Dal Benefits

Adding this yellow dal to your daily diet can have a range of health benefits, thanks to its high nutrient content. Here are six reasons for you to include these split pulses in your diet:

1. Aids Weight Loss

Moong dal helps enhance the functioning of the cholecystokinin hormone. As a result, it makes you feel full after eating and improves the metabolism rate. Thus, it contributes to controlling weight by preventing you from overeating.

2. Improves Heart Health

This yellow dal is rich in potassium and iron. It helps lower blood pressure and protects against muscle cramping. It also regulates irregular heartbeat. The light and easy-to-digest nature of moong dal makes it an excellent food for those suffering from hypertension or heart diseases.

3. Rich in Nutrients

Moong dal is a nutrient-rich food. It is enriched with minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron, and copper. In addition to this, it also contains folate, fibre, and vitamin B6. Rich in B-complex vitamins, this yellow dal helps break down carbohydrates into glucose and produce usable energy for your body. The folic acid present in it helps maintain healthy brain function and helps build DNA.

Moong dal is particularly rich in dietary fibre. A single cup serving can provide between 40.5 and 71 per cent of the recommended daily intake of the nutrient. This dietary fibre content helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and prevents nutritional complications.

The high protein content in it makes it a great source of the nutrient for vegetarians. Moong Dal sprouts contain Globulin and Albumin as the primary storage proteins. They make up over 85% of the total amino acids found in these sprouts.

4. Helps Prevent Diabetes

Moong dal has a low glycemic index. As a result, it helps bring down the body’s insulin, blood glucose, and fat levels. In turn, this helps keep blood sugar levels under control and helps lower the risk of diabetes.

5. Improves Digestive Health

The yellow dal helps produce butyrate, a short-chained fatty acid, which helps maintain the health of the intestinal walls. It has anti-inflammatory properties that prevent the accumulation of gas. This yellow dal is easy to digest and is an excellent food to maintain a healthy body.

6. Boosts Blood Circulation

Moong dal is rich in iron and this helps in the production of red blood cells. A good amount of red blood cells is crucial to prevent anaemia and improve the overall blood circulation in the body.

Nutritional Value of Moong Dal

Although they are almost the same, the nutritional values of green and yellow moong dal vary ever so slightly. Here’s a comparison of the same:

How to Sprout Moong Bean?

Sprouted moong dal is a powerhouse of nutrition. It contains enzymes, protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

• Select good quality seeds for sprouting
• Clean and wash the moong beans and soak them overnight or for 7-8 hours (see to it that the beans get submerged in water)
• The day after, rinse the beans well and drain the water
• The seeds should be swollen and plump. Some may have even sprouted a little
• Drain the water completely
• Wet a thin cotton cloth, squeeze out excess water
• Transfer the moong beans in it and hang it loosely to drain the remaining water
• Keep the cloth along with the moong beans in a vessel at room temperature
• Cover with a lid and leave it overnight undisturbed
• The fabric should be damp, and there should be no stagnant water in the vessel
• On the third day, you will see that the seeds have sprouted well
• You can refrigerate the sprouts for 3-4 days to use later

Moong Dal Recipes

Enjoy the goodness of green gram and reap its many benefits. Try these incredibly delicious recipes.

1. Low Cal Moong dal Halwa recipe

Ingredients:

• Yellow moong dal – 1 cup 
• Grated Jaggery – 1/2 cup 
• Low-fat milk – 2 cups 
• Cow’s ghee – 2 tbsp 
• Almond slivers – 1 tbsp 
• Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1. Soak moong dal in warm water for 10 minutes. Then drain out the water from the container.
2. Take the dal in a non-stick pan and roast it until it turns light brown.
3. Once roasted, cool it and then grind it into a fine powder
4. In the same pan, take ghee and heat it. Then, fry the almond slivers till it turns light brown
5. Add the powdered moong dal to the ghee and roast it for five more minutes on a slow flame. Wait till the dal is coated well with ghee
6. Slowly add low-fat milk to the milk. Stir well while adding to avoid lumps
7. Cook the mixture for 2 minutes
8. Now, add the grated jaggery to the mix, and keep stirring until it comes together. It should take about 4 to 5 minutes.
9. Garnish with cardamom powder and serve hot

Nutritional breakdown per serving:

• Serves 8
• Calories – 121
• Carbs – 18 g
• Protein – 4 g
• Fat – 4 g
• Fibre – 0.6 g

2. Moong Dal Paneer Toast

Non-vegetarians can substitute the paneer topping in this recipe with scrambled eggs, another excellent source of protein.

Ingredients:

• Multigrain bread – 2 slices  
• Low fat paneer, crumbled – ½ cup 
• Cup of green moong dal, soaked – 1/2 
• Onion, chopped – 1/2 
• Tomato, chopped – 1/2 
• Coriander and mint leaves – 2 tbsp each
• Chaat masala -1/4 tsp 
• Green chilli, chopped – 1 
• Garam masala – 1 tsp 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Ghee – 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Grind the moong dal without water into a coarse paste
2. Mix all the ingredients, except bread
3. Apply the mix on the other side like a thick stuffing.
4. Spread a little ghee on a hot non-stick pan
5. Place the bread and cook for 2 minutes
6. Flip and cook the stuffing side till it turns light brown
7. Serve hot with a dip of your choice

Nutritional breakdown per serving

• Calories – 230
• Carbohydrates- 31 g
• Protein – 15 g
• Fat – 5 g
• Fibre – 5 g

3. Moong Dal soup

Ingredients

• Moong dal – 100 g 
• Onions – 60 g 
• Oil – 1 tsp 
• Salt – 1 tsp

Preparation

1. Boil the green gram in a slow heat cooker
2. You may need to add 500ml of water to cook the lentils
3. Heat oil and add sliced onions, mustard, and chillies
4. After a couple of minutes, add the cooked lentils and add salt
5. Let it boil for a few minutes, then serve.

Nutritional Breakdown (for 42.6g)

• Protein 6.6 g
• Fat 1.4 g
• Carbs 16.4 g

4. Moong Dal Chila

Ingredients:

• Moong dal (green gram), soaked in water for an hour – 250 gm
• Green chillies – 4-5 pieces 
• Hing (asafoetida) – ¼ tsp 
• Haldi (turmeric powder) – 1 tsp 
• Onion, finely chopped – 1 
• Tomato, finely chopped – 1 
• Oil – 1-2tbsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash the soaked dal thoroughly and drain the excess water.
2. Put moong dal, green chilies, salt, haldi, and hing in a grinder and grind into a smooth paste. You can add a little water if required.
3. Pour the batter into a large container and check the seasoning by just taking a bit of batter on your forefinger and tasting it. It is important because once you have made the chilas, you will not be able to adjust the taste.
4. Now switch on the gas and place a pan on the stove. Pour a tablespoon of oil and let it heat. Now roast a piece of a loaf or a chapati over it and then remove it. Wipe the tawa with a kitchen towel and then sprinkle some water. Be careful and step away from the tawa after sprinkling water. Wipe it again with the kitchen towel.
5. Now again pour a tablespoon of oil on the tawa and heat it. This time pour two big spoonfuls of batter on the tawa and spread it evenly as you do with ‘dosa’. If you are not an expert in making dosa and chila, then start with a small chila by pouring just one big spoon of batter.
6. When one side is cooked, apply a little oil on the surface of the chila and then carefully flip it to the other side. While the other side is being cooked, add some chopped onions, green chilies, tomatoes, and green coriander at the center of chila and fold in half. Cook it for a second and then take it out on a plate.
7. Follow the procedure to make more chilas. Serve hot with green coriander chutney.

Nutritional Breakdown

• Energy 71.7 kcal
• Protein 1.3 g
• Fat 0.4 g
• Carbohydrates 5.2 g

Moong dal’s low-carb, high-protein content is the reason behind its many benefits. Enjoy some of these health benefits of the superfood by trying out some delicious recipes given above.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Can I eat moong dal daily?

A. Yes, you can eat it daily. It is rich in essential nutrients, and incorporating it into your daily diet will help you stay fit and healthy.

Q. Is moong dal good for brain health?

A. The magnesium present in green dal is proven to improve nerve functioning and brain health.

Q. Which is healthier, sprouted or cooked moong dal?

A. Cooking moong dal is not advised because it reduces the nutritional value of the dal, much more than while sprouting. However, eating cooked dal prevents gas and bloating that can be observed while eating the sprouted variety. Both have their benefits.

Q. Does moong dal cause gas?

A. Sometimes, lentils and beans can cause gas. Therefore, it is advised to always soak or sprout the lentils before eating to avoid any digestive problems.