Cracking the science of ‘moong dal’
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In the world of whole foods, moong dal is one of the most convenient options. When I moved to the US as a newly married woman in 2004, I landed in freezing -10 degrees Celsius weather and craved for hot rasam rice to thaw myself.
The tragedy of the situation just hit me then. I would have to boil tur dal for 1 hour to get it to some semblance of doneness to be able to use it in a rasam. Those were not the days where you could easily find Indian stuff in American grocery stores.
It was moong dal to the rescue. Although, it does not have the flavour or texture profile of tur dal, but desperate times call for clever measures. Thirty minutes of soaking, followed by boiling for just about 20 minutes gave me a mushy dal for sambar, rasam or just about any other comfort food.
Moong dal is ideal for certain dishes like pongal, chila, kosumbari, khichdi and more, but it’s not my go-to for making dal (the dish) due to its somewhat slimy texture. Turns out there are some distinct differences in the nature of moong and tur dal. Moong dal has higher amylopectin, a starch that gelatinises easily during cooking, giving it the viscous slimy texture.
It absorbs more water than tur dal, which lends to this not-so-favourable quality. It’s fascinating that adding one easy prep while cooking reduces its sliminess and increases its flavour considerably. It is dry roasting.
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