Khatta moong is a simple, healthy Gujarati dish made with whole green moong dal, sour yogurt, besan, and a few spices. In Gujarati, It is called khatta mag where ‘khatta’ means sour.
Some would call it moong kadhi as the gravy base is the same as the kadhi recipe.
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❤️About This Khatta Moong Recipe
Taste: Sour, tangy with medium spicy.
Texture: thick, creamy kadhi gravy with soft, almost mushy moong beans.
A staple Gujarati dish: This is a staple recipe in every Gujarati household, but everybody’s version of khatta moong can be slightly different. This version is more popular than green moong dal recipe.
Quick & Easy: Some prep work and with 15 minutes of active cooking time, you’ll have super delicious khatta moong ready.
Use instant pot & save time: I boil green moong along with rice (using the pot-in-pot method), so boiled moong and rice get ready at the same time. So next, I just have to make khatta mag gravy, add boiled moong and it’s ready to serve with rice.
No soaking required: Moong bean is the kind of lentil that doesn’t require soaking time as it cooks faster.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make this moong kadhi.
- Whole green moong dal: It is easily available in any Indian grocery store. But nowadays, I have seen it in American grocery stores like whole foods, and some Shoprite locations.
- Sour yogurt: It must be sour otherwise it doesn’t taste good. If using store-bought yogurt then remove the required amount in a bowl and keep it on a countertop for 5-6 hours or less (depending on the climate where you live) and let it get sour.
- Besan (gram flour): It is used to thicken the gravy just like kadhi recipe.
- Spice powders: turmeric powder and red chili powder are used.
- Ginger, green chili: Most of the time, I crush them together in a wet jar of my spice grinder. Instead, you can use mortar and pestle. Or simply use ginger paste and finely chopped green chilies.
- Sugar (optional): A touch of sugar will balance the sour taste of yogurt. Adjust the amount as per the intensity of your yogurt’s sourness. Skip if yogurt is not sour at all.
- Ghee: At home, I have seen my mom using ghee all the time so I am using it as well. But you can use oil as well.
- Mustard and Cumin seeds: These two are added in tempering.
- Whole spices: Cinnamon stick and cloves are used.
- Curry leaves: It adds a nice flavor and aroma to khatta mag recipe.
👩🍳How To Make Khatta Moong? (Stepwise Photos)
Boil Moong Beans (& Rice):
1) Wash/rinse the whole green moong dal 2-3 times or until the water is clear (not cloudy) anymore. Take it to an instant pot insert along with salt and water. Add around 1 inch of water to instant pot liner. Place a rack in it and place this moong bean insert on top of the rack.
2) Similarly, rinse the rice and take it into another insert. Place this rice insert on top of moong. Cover with a lid.
3) Cover the instant pot with a lid, and keep the valve in a sealing position. Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 10 minutes.
Stove top pressure cooker: 1 whistle on high + 20 minutes on medium-low.
Let the pressure go down by itself (NPR - natural pressure release). Once the pin drops open the lid and remove the moong bean insert and check it should be cooked to soft.
Put the rice insert back in the instant pot, cover and turn on the ‘keep warm’ option, so the rice stays nice and warm until serving.
Prep:
4) Take sour yogurt in a bowl, and add besan, remaining salt, sugar, red chili powder, and turmeric powder.
5) Whisk it until it is smooth and there are no lumps of besan left.
6) Add water and make a thin batter. If there are any lumps then you can use a hand blender to make it smooth.
Cooking Khatta Moong:
1) Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
2) Add cinnamon and cloves and fry for 30 seconds.
3) Add curry leaves and ginger, chili paste.
4) Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger goes away.
5) Add yogurt mixture and stir immediately to avoid curdling.
6) Let it come to a simmer and continue simmering for 3-4 minutes. During this time it will thicken and the raw taste of besan will go away.
7) Now add boiled moong along with its water if any.
8) Mix and simmer for another 5 minutes.
9) Lastly, garnish with chopped cilantro and it is ready to serve.
💭Expert Tips
Garlic: If you like then you can crush 2 cloves of garlic along with ginger and green chilies.
Avoid curdling yogurt:
- Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature. When you add cold/chilled yogurt in hot tempering, it will surely curdle because of the sudden temperature change.
- Add the yogurt mixture with one hand and stir right away with another hand. Do both tasks together to avoid the chances of curdling.
- Keep the heat on medium-low.
- Do stir until it starts simmering. Once it starts simmering, it won’t curdle.
🥣 Storage Instructions
- Leftover khatta moong can be refrigerated in an airtight container. It stays good for up to 3 days. Always store it once it comes to room temperature.
- Because of the yogurt-based gravy, it is not recommended to freeze. It will curdle after defrosting.
🍽 Serving Ideas For Khatta Mag
- Serve khatta moong with plain rice or jeera rice with a side of carrot sambharo or kachumber salad.
- It can be served with phulka roti or paratha as well.
Check Out Other Lentils/beans Recipe
Did you try this khatta moong recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Khatta Moong (Gujarati Khatta Mag)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole green moong dal (Green gram dal)
- 2 cups Water to cook moong beans
- ½ teaspoon Salt to add while cooking beans
- 1 ½ cups Plain yogurt Must be sour
- 2 ½ cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Besan (gram flour)
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar optional or adjust as per the sourness of your yogurt
- 2-3 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 3 Cloves
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 8-10 Curry leaves
- ½ inch Ginger
- 2 Green chilies crushed ginger and green chili together
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped finely
Instructions
- Wash/rinse the whole green moong dal 2-3 times or until the water is clear (not cloudy) anymore. Take it to an instant pot insert along with salt and water. Add around 1 inch of water to the instant pot liner. Place a rack in it and place this moong bean insert on top of the rack.
- Cover the instant pot with a lid, and keep the valve in a sealing position. Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 10 minutes.Stove top pressure cooker: 1 whistle on high + 10 minutes on medium-low.
- Let the pressure go down by itself (NPR - natural pressure release). Once the pin drops open the lid and remove the moong bean insert and check it should be cooked to soft.
- Take sour yogurt in a bowl, and add besan, remaining salt, sugar, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Whisk it until it is smooth and there are no lumps of besan left.
- Add water and make a thin batter. If there are any lumps then you can use a hand blender to make it smooth.
- Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
- Add cinnamon and cloves and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add curry leaves and ginger, chili paste. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger goes away.
- Add yogurt mixture and stir immediately to avoid curdling. Let it come to a simmer and continue simmering for 3-4 minutes. During this time it will thicken and the raw taste of besan will go away.
- Now add boiled moong along with its water if any. Mix and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Lastly, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve khatta moong with rice or roti.
Notes
- Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature.
- When you add cold/chilled yogurt in hot tempering, it will surely curdle because of the sudden temperature change.
- Add the yogurt mixture with one hand and stir right away with another hand. Do both tasks together to avoid the chances of curdling.
- Keep the heat on medium-low.
- Do stir until it starts simmering. Once it starts simmering, it won’t curdle.
Nirav Shah
Hmmm never tried this one. we make regular rasawala mung. this looks catchy. will try
thanks for sharing happy cooking.
Kanan Patel
Sure, hope you like it.
Bhavana
This is the best kadhi i have everr done ! Thanks for this wonderful recipe 😊
Kanan Patel
Very glad to know that you liked.