Mung Dal Soup Recipe: A Light Ayurvedic-Style Lentil Soup

Mung dal soup is the thinnest and simplest of the lentil dishes of the Indian kitchen: split, skinned mung beans cooked in plenty of water until they fall apart, then seasoned with a little ghee, cumin and turmeric. It is eaten as a light lunch, a quiet supper or a bowl on a day when you want something warm and undemanding.

This page gives a recipe, the traditional reading, and the cautions. It is ordinary food. It is not a detox or a treatment, and the page makes no claim that it heals anything. For the thicker rice-and-dal cousin, see kitchari.

The recipe at a glance

• Time: 10 minutes preparing, 30 minutes cooking.
• Serves: 2 as a main bowl, or 4 as a starter.
• Equipment: a medium pot with a lid, and a small pan for the tempering.

Ingredients

• Three quarters of a cup of split, skinned mung dal (150 g), rinsed until the water runs fairly clear
• 4 cups of water (1 litre), plus more to adjust
• Half a teaspoon of ground turmeric (about 1 g)
• 1 teaspoon of ghee or a mild oil (about 5 g)
• Half a teaspoon of cumin seeds
• A thin slice of fresh ginger, finely chopped
• Salt, about half a teaspoon, to taste
• Juice of a quarter lemon, and a handful of chopped coriander leaves, to finish
• Optional: a handful of diced vegetables such as carrot, bottle gourd (lauki), courgette or spinach

Method

1. Rinse the dal two or three times in a bowl, rubbing it gently, until the water is nearly clear. Some cooks soak it for 20 to 30 minutes first, which shortens the cooking time slightly.
2. Put the dal, water and turmeric in the pot. Bring to the boil and skim off any foam.
3. Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the dal is completely soft and starting to dissolve. If using diced vegetables, add the carrot at the start and quick-cooking ones such as spinach for the last 5 minutes.
4. Whisk or mash the soup with a spoon for a smoother texture. Add hot water if it is too thick. The soup should be pourable, a little thicker than stock.
5. In a small pan, warm the ghee over a medium heat, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds, then add the ginger for about 15 seconds. Pour this tempering (tadka) over the soup.
6. Add salt, then the lemon juice and coriander. Serve warm.

Cook pulses until they are completely soft, and never eat undercooked beans. Cool leftovers within an hour or two and keep them in the fridge, eating them within a day. Reheat until steaming hot throughout, and do not reheat the same portion more than once.

Easy variations

• Gentler for sensitive stomachs. Omit the ginger and lemon, and use a little less cumin.
• With a squeeze of ghee at the table. Many families add an extra half teaspoon at serving.
• With rice on the side. A spoon of plain rice makes a fuller meal and brings the soup close to kitchari.
• Whole green mung. Whole mung beans take longer, need soaking overnight and give a more textured, less light soup. They are a different dish.

The Ayurvedic reading (traditional)

Mung (mudga) is classed in the Ayurvedic tradition as the lightest and most agreeable of the pulses. Classical food lists, including those of the Charaka Samhita, treat mung as among the best of the pulses. Teachers describe it as sweet and astringent, light and dry, and as not aggravating wind or heaviness as other beans do. These are traditional qualities, as explained on the page about the qualities of foods, and they are not laboratory measurements.

In that language, a well-cooked soup of mung dal is easy to digest and gentle on agni, the digestive fire. Ghee, cumin and ginger are added, teachers say, to balance the dryness of the pulse and to make it more digestible, and the page on spices in the Ayurvedic kitchen describes that role. Of the doshas, mung is most often described as agreeable to all three when cooked soft with a little fat. Pitta and kapha types are said to do well with it because of its lightness, and vata types are asked to cook it very soft with ghee so that the dryness does not unsettle them.

Where it fits in the day is the tradition’s main meal: meal timing explains why midday is the preferred time. Many teachers also suggest a soup of this kind for a light evening meal. Because it is light, the texts do not recommend it as the only food for long stretches, and this page does not either.

What modern research says

Mung beans are a good source of protein, fibre and several minerals, and split mung dal is a staple of home cooking worldwide. A bowl of mung dal soup is ordinary healthy food. The traditional claims about its effect on the doshas have not been tested in clinical trials, and nothing suggests that eating it produces a cleanse.

Who should be careful

• Diabetes. Dal contains carbohydrate. Mung is relatively gentle on blood sugar, but follow your care team’s guidance on portions, especially if you add rice.
• Kidney disease. Pulses contain potassium and phosphate, which people with kidney disease often need to limit. Ask a kidney dietitian before making dal a daily food.
• Gout. Pulses contain purines. If you have gout, ask your doctor how much suits you.
• Gas and bloating. Mung is gentler than most pulses, but it can still cause wind. Rinse well, cook thoroughly and add pulses to your diet gradually.
• G6PD deficiency. The related broad bean can be dangerous in this condition. Mung is not the same, but if you have G6PD deficiency, ask your doctor about pulses in general.
• Allergy. Legume allergy exists, and some people allergic to peanuts react to other legumes. Avoid mung if it affects you.
• Salt and fat. Keep salt low if you have high blood pressure, and remember that ghee is a saturated fat, which is discussed on the ghee page.
• Babies. For first foods, follow your paediatrician’s advice. Do not add salt, spices or honey to food for babies.

This recipe is general education, not medical advice. Please read the medical disclaimer, see a doctor about any health concern, and a registered Ayurvedic practitioner (BAMS in India) if you want Ayurvedic treatment.

Frequently asked questions