Usually sona moong daal has an elite status in Bengal . It's a smaller variant of the regular moong daal and is more flavorful than its counterpart. It is not that commonly found in rest of India however. But one can elevate the beautiful aroma of moong daal just by following a simple trick - dry roast it. It serves two purposes- the daal becomes more aromatic and also it doesn't stick to each other.  Popularly we call it as Bhaja Moong er daal or fried moong daal. Its sort of a misnomer, because we really do not fry it but dry roast it. The earthy aroma of dry roasted daal on slow flame gives the daal its characteristic flavor. 

We cook moong in both ways - with or without roasting. The without roasting variant has easier recipes while the roasted one follows an elaborate recipe to create a scrumptious daal loaded with beautiful spices, roasted coconut chunks, vegetables or fish. While it tastes awesome that way, the process is long and laborious. So when you are looking for a quick weekday daal, it really doesn't fit the bill. And that is the reason why I used to not make moong daal very often until a few weeks ago.

My mom told me about a very simple moong daal recipe comprising of only Kalonji (Kalo jire) and chillies in the tempering. Initially a person like me who is either used to adding whole garam masala or white jeera would find it hard to visualize how the Kalonji will go with the flavor profile. But when I did give it a shot, it turned out so amazing that it has now become one of my go to daals. Its quick, easy and delicious. The fragrance of kalonji fried in ghee weds the earthy aroma of roasted moong and creates a lingering magic.