Usal is a classic Indian Maharashtrian dish of sprouted beans in a spicy coconut sauce. It's a great recipe for adding more nutritious legumes into your diet, and it's delicious served over steamed rice or with roti.
The cuisine of Maharashtra, my home state in India, showcases the many nourishing ingredients that grow in its rich soil, including coconut, millets, and a variety of legumes.
In addition to the more familiar toor dal, urad dal, moong dal, masoor dal, chickpeas and black-eyed peas, legumes like vaal (hyacinth beans), kulith (horse gram), matki (moth beans) and vatana (dried peas) are regulars at the dinner table.
Called "kadadhanye" or "bitter grains" in Marathi, legumes are particularly valued for their nourishing qualities and they are usually sprouted before being added to recipes, which makes them even healthier and easier to digest. Usal and misal are two delicious and beloved sprouts dishes from Maharashtra that I often make because they are as simple as they are nutritious.
Table of Contents
What is usal?
An usal is a curry made with sprouted beans, most often mung beans and matki or moth beans. The beans are cooked, then mixed into a spicy sauce made of coconut, onions and/or tomatoes.
Usal and misal are quite similar, although a misal is usually associated with street food, served with a soft bread roll called "pav" and plenty of "farsan"-- delicious chickpea flour snacks. An usal is everyday food made regularly in home kitchens and served with rice and roti or chapati. An usal can be made saucy or not, depending on your preference. I like mine saucy.
One quick note for those not completely familiar with Indian matki beans that are used traditionally for usal: they are slightly larger than mung beans and brown, and they cook up in a relatively short time, making this dish a lifesaver for busy cooks. You can easily find matki beans at your Indian grocer (I'll also leave an affiliate link in the recipe box).
Why you will love this recipe
- Nourishing and healthy. Sprouts contain higher levels of protein, fiber and other nutrients, compared to non-sprouted beans, and they are easier to digest. Tomatoes, onions and spices make this an even healthier dish.
- Delicious and different. Usal is not a dish you'd find at Indian restaurants, which usually serve only south Indian and north Indian foods. But if you love Indian food it's a dish well worth making and eating.
- Easy. There are a few extra steps here with the sprouting and the blended masala, but they are by no means difficult. Once you've sprouted the beans (see recipe box for instructions if you're new to sprouting) this recipe comes together easily, with a minimum amount of chopping needed. For an even quicker dish that's similar, try this easy bean sprouts curry.
- Allergy-friendly. The usal recipe is soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- Mung beans and/or matki beans. I like mixing the two in a 50:50 ratio for the most flavor and nutrition. You can use just mung beans or matki beans or even sprouted kala chana or horsegram (kulith).
- Vegetables: onions (preferably red onions) and tomatoes.
- Grated coconut (unsweetened). I buy this in the frozen section of the Indian grocery store. You can use freshly grated coconut.
- Spices: Bay leaf, turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cayenne or any other red pepper powder like Kashmiri chilli powder and goda masala (which we recently used in our Maharashtrian bharli vangi recipe. Use garam masala if you can't source this).
- Herbs: garlic cloves, curry leaves and cilantro (for garnish).
- Jaggery (an unrefined Indian cane sugar) or any granulated sugar.
How to make usal
Place sprouted matki beans and moth beans in a pan. Add enough water to cover the sprouts by an inch. Add a bay leaf and ¼ teaspoon turmeric.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then cover with a lid, turn heat down to a simmer, and cook 20-30 minutes or until the beans are tender. Check a few times to make sure all of the water hasn't evaporated and add more water if needed.
In a saucepan or wide saute pan, add a teaspoon of oil. Add the garlic cloves and saute for a minutes, then add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt.
Saute the onions until they become soft and begin to brown.
Stir in the grated coconut and stir-fry the coconut until it browns. Remove the ingredients to a plate and when they have cooled blend them into a paste with ½ cup water. Set aside.
In the same pan heat another teaspoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds and, after they crackle, add cumin seeds.
Stir in the chopped onions. Saute for a few minutes until the edges start to brown.
Stir in the curry leaves.
Add tomatoes to the pan...
...then stir in the spices: cayenne, remaining ¼ teaspoon turmeric, and goda masala or garam masala. Mix well.
Continue to cook the tomatoes, onions and spices until the tomatoes are very soft.
Add the cooked sprouts with a cup of the cooking water and the blended coconut-onion paste.
Mix well and bring the usal to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking about 10 minutes until you see reddish pools on top. Add jaggery and salt to taste.
Stir in the cilantro and turn off heat. Serve hot.
Top tip
When sprouting beans for Indian dishes, don't let the sprouts develop into long shoots, the way you would for some Asian stir-fries or salads. Cook the beans as soon as small sprouts appear, no more than a couple of millimeters long.
Serving suggestions
- With roti or paratha.
- Over basmati rice or jeera rice.
- Serve with a vegetable side, like this sauteed okra or cauliflower sabzi.
- Indian pickles can be served on the side, like lime pickle or carrot pickle.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The usal can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Freeze: Freeze the usal in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat in a saucepan or microwave until warmed through. Usal should always be served hot.
More delicious recipes with sprouts
Usal Recipe
Equipment
- Saute pan or saucepan (for cooking beans)
- Larger saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ cup mung beans
- ½ cup matki beans (also called moth beans)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (divided)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil or any neutral oil (divided)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 medium red onions (One sliced, other finely chopped)
- ½ cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 sprigs curry leaves (about 20 leaves)
- 2 medium tomatoes (diced)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (use more or less based on your preference for heat. You can also use Kashmiri chilli powder for more color).
- 2 teaspoon goda masala (or garam masala)
- 1 teaspoon jaggery (or granulated sugar)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Sprout the matki and mung beans. To do this place the beans in a bowl with enough water to cover and let them stand overnight. Then strain out the water, rinse, and let them stand in a colander covered with a kitchen towel for a day or two until small sprouts appear. Remember to rinse the beans a couple of times each day. In summer it shouldn't take more than a day for the beans to sprout. You can also tie the beans in cheesecloth and hang the bundle up in a cool, dark place until sprouts appear.
- Place the sprouted beans in a pan. Add enough water to cover the sprouts by an inch. Add a bay leaf and ¼ teaspoon turmeric.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then cover with a lid, turn heat down to a simmer, and cook 20-30 minutes or until the beans are tender. Check a few times to make sure all of the water hasn't evaporated and add more water if needed.
- In a saucepan or wide saute pan, add a teaspoon of oil. Add the garlic cloves and saute for a minutes, then add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt. Saute the onions until they become soft and begin to brown.
- Stir in the grated coconut and stir-fry the coconut until it browns. Remove the ingredients to a plate and when they have cooled blend them into a paste with ½ cup water. Set aside.
- In the same pan heat another teaspoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds and, after they crackle, add cumin seeds. Stir in the chopped onions. Saute for a few minutes until the edges start to brown, then stir in the curry leaves.
- Add tomatoes to the pan, .then stir in the spices: cayenne, remaining ¼ teaspoon turmeric, and goda masala or garam masala. Mix well. Continue to cook the tomatoes, onions and spices until the tomatoes are very soft.
- Add the cooked sprouts with a cup of the cooking water and the blended coconut-onion paste. Mix well and bring the usal to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking about 10 minutes until you see reddish pools on top. Add jaggery and salt to taste.
- Stir in the cilantro and turn off heat. Serve hot.
Leslie
Hi, Vishali. I'm reading the recipe and have a question. There are two mentions in the directions about adding onions. The first is for sliced and made into paste. The second is for finely diced. The ingredient list says two onions, finely diced. Is one actually supposed to be sliced for the paste and the second diced for the tomato sauce? Or are there three onions required--two diced and a third sliced?
Vaishali
One sliced and one finely chopped. I’ve clarified it. Thanks!
Wesley Whatford
love all your recipes
Nidhi
I am making this recipe tonight. I soaked the beans right after your recipe dropped and they are already sprouting...can't wait.
Nidhi
This was so yum! Five stars! The beans had very small sprouts but I couldn't wait and it was perfect. This is going into our dinner rotation during summer.
Sunshinemom
I enjoyed reading your posts very much! Simple and straight 🙂