Usal Recipe
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.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 167kcal
Equipment
- Saute pan or saucepan (for cooking beans)
- Blender
- Larger saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried 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
- ½ cup water (for blending the coconut-onion paste, plus extra for soaking and cooking the beans; reserve 1 cup bean cooking liquid)
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 minute, 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.
Notes
- Soak and sprout the beans beforehand; the overnight soak and one to two days of sprouting are additional to the recipe time. Total time allows for cooking the beans and preparing the separate sauce components. You can prepare the sauce while the beans cook to save time. Allow the coconut-onion mixture to cool before blending.
Nutrition
Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg