Usal: sprouted bean curry
Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed
Usal is what Maharashtrian households eat on ordinary days: sprouted beans in a thin, spiced gravy, eaten with rice or bread or on its own from a bowl.
It is lighter than the heavier bean curries, which makes it a better evening meal for most people at 70, and the sprouting means it sits considerably easier than the same beans unsprouted.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed sprouts (moong, matki, chana)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp goda masala or garam masala
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- A pinch of asafoetida
- A few curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp grated coconut
- Chopped coriander
Method
- 1
Heat the oil, add mustard seeds and let them pop, then cumin, asafoetida and curry leaves.
- 2
Add the onion and cook until soft and golden, then the ginger garlic paste for a minute.
- 3
Add the tomato, turmeric and salt, and cook until it breaks down.
- 4
Add the sprouts and two cups of water. Simmer covered for twelve to fifteen minutes, until the sprouts are tender but not mushy.
- 5
Stir in the masala and the coconut, simmer two minutes more, and finish with coriander. It should be thin enough to spoon.
Good to know
- Keep it thin. Usal is meant to be brothy rather than thick, and a thinner version is easier to eat when appetite is low.
- Any sprouted bean works. Matki (moth beans) is the traditional one, but mixed sprouts from the market are fine.
- If raw or lightly cooked sprouts have troubled you before, cook these a few minutes longer; the dish is forgiving.
- A bowl of this with one roti is a complete meal with no other protein needed.