This Air Fryer moong dal or air fried lentils is a crunchy and delicious snack that is really healthy as well.
Fried moong dal is a very popular Indian munchie or snack. The only pitfall, it is deep fried.
That is the reason why I haven't had it in ages. But then I discovered air fried lentils and beans.
If you have not tried, these crispy chickpeas in air fryer, air fryer roasted sprouted moong and air fryer butter beans are such a super snack idea.
Or these air fryer peas are a delightful snack.
If you're wondering, moong dal is a split yellow lentil, widely eaten in Indian and other Asian cuisines for its protein-packed goodness and versatility.
Moong dal is a staple dal in Indian cuisine along with moong cheela or savoury lentil pancakes and moong dal khichdi. You will love this kosambari or fresh moong dal salad.
This cabbage pakoda, onion pakoda, bread pakora, spinach pakora are other healthy snacks you will like.
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Why You'll Love Air fryer Moong Dal
1. Easy Recipe: The recipe has a few steps and needs a bit of prep. But, in essence, it is a very easy recipe.
2. Healthy: Moong dal is a good source of plant-based protein and fiber. It is turned into a crunchy snack using an air fryer.
3. Tasty: The air fryer turns lentils and turns them into a crispy wonder, elevating your taste experience.
4. Versatile: Use any seasonings of choice. Even salt and pepper work well.
Ingredients
Moong Dal: 1 cup about 250 gm. moong dal or yellow lentils is used in this recipe.
Water: 6 cups water is used for boiling the lentils
Seasonings: Salt, pepper, cayenne and chaat masala
Oil: 2 tsp. vegetable oil for lightly coating the lentils before air frying.
Variations and Substitutions
1. Use different seasonings: You can add any seasonings or seasoning mixes of choice here. Ready mixes like peri peri seasoning works too.
2. Use different lentils: You can try this recipe with other lentils like split gram or chana dal or whole moong beans.
3. Stovetop version: If you don't have an air fryer, you can make this on the stovetop by pan frying the boiled lentils until they are crispy.
4. Vegetarian: This recipe is naturally vegan. If you want a richer taste, you can add ghee in place of vegetable oil.
Instructions
Take 1 cup moong dal and wash it well.
Soak it for 4 hours so that the lentils get softer and swell up.
Drain the water and keep aside.
Next you need to parboil the lentils or cook them al dente. We don't want them mushy or they will just break apart.
Boil about 6 cups of water. Once it comes to a boil, add the soaked and drained lentils.
Let it boil for about 10 minutes till they are al dente.
Drain them and wrap them in a cloth towel to dry them well.
The drier they are, the lesser time they take to crunch up in the air fryer.
Now take the lentils. Add 2 tsp. of oil and salt and mix well.
Preheat air fryer at 180C or 360F for 5 minutes.
Since these lentils are small in size, they may slip through your air fryer basket mesh.
To prevent that, use parchment paper to line your air fryer basket.
Now add the lentils to the air fryer basket.
Air fry them at 180C or 360F for 16-20 minutes until they get crispy.
Remember they will continue to get more crispy once they cool down. So don't over crisp them or they will get hard.
Keep checking them every minute after 16 minutes.
Exact air frying time will depend upon the size of your moong dal, how cooked they are and how dry they were when you placed them for air frying.
The dal shrinks a bit after air frying as you can.
Take it out and toss with chaat masala, cayenne or paprika and pepper.
Do this when it is slightly hot so that the spices adhere well.
Let air fried moong dal cool down before storing in an air-tight container.
You can store the moong dal for upto a week in an air tight container at room temperature.
Expert Tips
1. Soaking: Don't skip soaking the lentils. This process helps to soften them and reduce the cooking time.
2. Boiling: Do not overcook the lentils during boiling. They should have a bite to them before they go for air frying.
Drying the lentils: Dry the lentils well so that they crunch up nice and easy.
3. Checking: Do keep checking the air frying time after 16 minutes of air frying. Depending on your air fryer, they may cook faster or slower than expected.
4. Seasoning: Feel free to vary the seasonings as per your taste.
5. Prevent hardening: Parboiling the lentils helps in preventing this.
Also important to remember is that your lentils should be crunchy but not completely crunchy before you take them out of the air fryer.
This is because they continue to harden after they cool down. So they will be the perfect texture then.
FAQs
Yes. You can use chana dal or split gram dal, chickpeas or whole moong here. The cooking time may vary, though.
Soaking the lentils helps in making them softer and reduces cooking time.
Yes, you can follow the same steps, and instead of air frying, you can pan fry par boiled lentils on the stovetop with some oil until they are crispy.
Here's the recipe card:
Air fryer Moong Dal
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Take 1 cup moong dal and wash it well. Soak it for 4 hours so that the lentils get softer and swell up.
- Drain the water and keep aside.
- Next you need to parboil the lentils or cook them al dente. We don't want them mushy or they will just break apart.
- Boil about 6 cups of water. Once it comes to a boil, add the soaked and drained lentils.
- Let it boil for about 10 minutes till they are al dente. Drain them and wrap them in a cloth towel to dry them well.
- The drier they are, the lesser time they take to crunch up in the air fryer.
- Now take the lentils. Add 2 tsp. Of oil and salt and mix well.
- Preheat air fryer at 180C or 360F for 5 minutes.
- Since these lentils are small in size, they may slip through your air fryer basket mesh.
- To prevent that, use parchment paper to line your air fryer basket.
- Air fry them at 180C or 360F for 16-20 minutes until they get crispy.
- Remember they will continue to get more crispy once they cool down. So don't over crisp them or they will get hard.
- Keep checking them every minute after 16 minutes.
- Exact air frying time will depend upon the size of your moong dal, how cooked they are and how dry they were when you added the seasonings.
- Take it out and toss with chaat masala, cayenne or paprika and pepper. Do this when it is slightly hot so that the spices adhere well.
- Let it cool down before storing in an air-tight container. You can store the moong dal for upto a week.
Video
Notes
2. Boiling: Do not overcook the lentils during boiling. They should have a bite to them before they go for air frying.
3. Drying the lentils: Dry the lentils well so that they crunch up nice and easy.
4. Checking: Do keep checking the air frying time after 16 minutes of air frying. Depending on your air fryer, they may cook faster or slower than expected.
5. Seasoning: Feel free to vary the seasonings as per your taste.
6. Prevent hardening: Parboiling the lentils helps in preventing this. Also important to remember is that your lentils should be crunchy but not completely crunchy before you take them out of the air fryer. This is because they continue to harden after they cool down. So they will be the perfect texture then.
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