Moong Usal Recipe - A Popular Maharashtrian Dish
It all started when I bought a bag of sprouted moong dal to make this soy chunks sprouted moong biryani for FSB. I had half a bag leftover and turned to my trusted Facebook Page for ideas. I got a lot of suggestions, most revolved around chaat. Since I am lazy, and since of the suggestions coincided with a recipe in one of the books I was reading - Ginger and Ganesh - I decided to go with a Maharashtrian Usal Recipe.
Usal is made with maki or moth bean sprouts. Using moong sprouts for usal is also not uncommon so I decided to go ahead and do just that. I also learnt from the book that Misal is Usal with has been spiced up a bit more and made into a kind of chaat. I hear this is very common street food in Maharashtra. If any of you know more, do leave your insights in this post :)
Usal is a dry side dish that's amazingly flavourful. Serve with rice and some gravy or make this into a gravy dish. I personally prefer the dry version.
Moong Usal Recipe
Adapted from Ginger and Ganesh
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
2 cups moong bean sprouts
1 onion, chopped
1/2 of a tomato (or 1 small tomato)
1" piece of ginger, minced
2-3 flakes of garlic, minced
1 tsp amchoor (dry mango powder) or 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1-2 green chillies, chopped
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Kitchen King Masala (or garam masala / goda masala)
1 tsp grated jaggery or brown sugar (or regular sugar)
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
How I Made It:
1. Heat oil and add the onions and green chillies. Saute until the onions have turned a light brown.
2. Add the minced ginger and garlic and fry until the raw smell disappears - about a minute.
3. Now add the coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, and salt, and jaggery or sugar. Fry for another minute.
4. Add the sprouted moong dal and chopped tomato. Sprinkle some water and cook on low flame covered for 8-10 mins.
5. When the beans have turned crunchy and chewy, add the garam masala, and garnish with chopped coriander.
Serve hot with steamed rice and some gravy.
Note: you can pressure cook the sprouted beans until soft and then follow same recipe. I prefer to leave it crunchy.
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Good job with the usal! It looks very Maharashtrian indeed. Usal is made with all kinds of sprouted beans, and regions of M'tra have their own ways of making it. You should try the tender cashewnut usal (my absolute fav) and the tender fresh peas usal--both have minimalistic aromatics but turn out very flavorsome. Misal is a spicy, broth-like version of usal, to which potatoes and farsaan such as sev and paapdi have been added. Occasionally, even chivda. It is sprinkled with onions and coriander, and is eaten with soft, fresh pao or cold, thick dahi. Pune and Kolhapur are most famous for their spicy, delish misals.
ReplyDeleteWoww!Very colourful and Healthy Moong Usal. Deliciously done and clicked.Luv it.
ReplyDeleteSprouts and spiced up make a super delicious side with rice.
ReplyDeleteHi Nags,
ReplyDeleteRegular reader of your blog and I love your recipes!
Just wanted to know at what stage do you add the jaggery/brown sugar?
Thanks
Chitra
Wow! I never knew this was a Maharashtrian dish! My mother and my brother makes this often at home, it is a favorite with chapatis, one of my favs too. I avoid the jaggery though:D ~Shreya
ReplyDeleteNutritious and protein packed moong usal..
ReplyDeleteOmg, super delicious irresistible yummy dish..
ReplyDeleteIt looks so good.
ReplyDeleteThank you Saee, will surely try to make misal from your recipe :)
ReplyDeleteChitra, sorry about that, i have edited the recipe to add in the sugar. hope you try usal and like it!
The first picture is mouthwatering.
ReplyDeleteLooks very tempting and interesting idea...yummy looking sidedish for chapathi :) Nice clicks too!
ReplyDeleteI love usal and sometimes make the soupy version with copra ( dried coconut) added to it. Misal was a favourite snack in Dadar , Mumbai - its got a lot more punch to it with the sev and chopped onions added!
ReplyDeleteYour usal l
Sorry got cut off midway - your usal looks fresh and crunchy!
ReplyDeleteit looks awesome and fresh.. wud go well with chappathis.
ReplyDeleteyes usal would be a great combination with chapatis and some yellow dal tadka :)
ReplyDeleteTemplate looks good even with still the dust :-) you don't know nothing about html what would i say about me then. If i had a a blog looking like this i would be very happy.
ReplyDeleteWhat unusual shades of green that go delightfully well together. Especially in contrast with the steel gray of the karhai. I loved the vibrant red of your prawn dish (18th Nov?) served in the karhai but these pics have blown me away. Fantastic work Nags. Nice touch on the green plant/leaves too. Oh, and I love the recipe of course :)
ReplyDelete~Subhs
this looks so new to me..delicious as a filling for any wrap right..Awesome job..Visit my blog sometime..
ReplyDeleteI love usal and is made very often at my place. Love the photographs.
ReplyDeleteWhen do you add tamarind?
ReplyDeletesorry for missing that out appu. add it along with the tomato. i have edited the usal recipe directions with this :)
ReplyDelete