Bengali Mung Dal Recipe – Bhaja Moong-er Daal

This Bengali Roasted Mung Dal is a delicacy in the state/region of India called Bengal, in the east. In India, it isn’t common to roast lentils before boiling them, but it I love this version from Bengal where it is done. Also, traditionally, this recipe uses local ginger, called mango ginger or aamada, with a unique flavor that closely resembles galangal. You can use ginger as well for this recipe, as I did.

What is Bhaja Moong-er Daal?

Bengali Roasted Mung dal or Bhaja Moong-er Daal is a Bengali delicacy typically prepared in almost every Bengali household. I only know this from reading cookbooks and talking to Bengali friends. This Daal is made without Onion or Garlic. Bhaja typically refers to “Fried” however, this Daal is prepared with dry roasted Moong Daal. The roasting provides this dish a delicious nutty aroma and is a significant characteristic of this Daal.

Ingredients to prepare Bengali Roasted Mung Dal

The recipe of Moong er Daal calls for very few basic ingredients apart from the skinned and split Mung dal:

Spices (ground and whole): red chili powder, ground turmeric, cumin seeds, dried red chillis, and bay leaf

Aromatics: ginger or galangal paste and green chillis.

Oil/Vegan Ghee: Typically this recipe relies on the flavour of ghee, you can recreate that with a vegan ghee replacement or avocado oil.

Extras: the recipe also calls for a bit of sugar and plant milk. The sugar adds a hint of sweetness and balances out the spices and savouriness of this dish. The plant milk makes this dish slightly creamy and also balances out the spicy dal.

Steps to make Bengali Roasted Mung Dal recipe:

• Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the moong dal and roast for a few minutes until golden brown.

• Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then rinse under cold running water.
• Bring 5-5.5 cups (1.2 liters) water to a boil in a large pan, add the dal, ground turmeric, and red chili powder

• Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

• Remove the scum from the surface with a slotted spoon from time to time.

• Add salt and the chopped green chilies and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the dal is soft.
• Heat the vegan ghee or oil in a mini skillet over medium heat, add the cumin seeds, dried red chilis, and bay leaf, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until the chilis turn a couple of shades darker.
• Add to the dal, immediately cover and simmer for a further 3 minutes.
• Add the ginger/galangal paste, sugar, and milk, and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes to allow the dal to absorb the flavors.
• Serving with rice and a side of vegetables/sabzi.

I hope you give this recipe a go! I would love to hear about it if you do. Send me a few pictures over on Instagram 😀

Try out my other dal and legume recipes from the blog:

• Dal Tadka – Smokey and Restaurant-Style
• One pot dal recipe
• Easy Chana Masala