Though I love trying out different cuisines, I mostly prefer eating our regional cuisine. From those teenage days when good food meant Pizzas, Burgers & Bombay Pav Bhaji, I've come a long way.
Somewhere down the line, I realised that when I am really really hungry for food, I crave for the comfort a good home made meal. And, this Bassaru,Palya with the good old Ragi Mudde certainly features on the list.
If you grew up eating Kannada cuisine, you would definitely agree that Bassaru, Palya & Ragi Mudde is a match made in heaven. Not to mention, that this scores quite high on the health quotient too
Bassaru (Basida Saru) is a Rasam/Saaru that is made using strained water with which Lentils+Greens are pressure cooked. A palya or a stir fry is made out of the cooked Lentils & Greens.
Bassaru & Palya are served together with Ragi Mudde or Steamed Rice
There are tons of variations to this recipe. You can make this using the regular Toor Dal with Greens or use seasonal beans like Avarekalu (Flat Beans) or even a mixture of various lentils
The version that I have for you today is made using Mung Sprouts. I didn't add any greens to this, but feel free to add any greens of your choice
To Make Bassaru - You Will Need:
- 2 cups Mung Sprouts
- 2 Tomatoes - Halved
- 1 large Onion - Roughly chopped
- 2 Green Chilies
- 2 tsp Rasam Powder
- 4 cloves of Garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh grated Coconut
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4th tsp Turmeric powder
- A sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tsp Ghee
- Salt as per taste
- A big lump of Jaggery
- Fresh Coriander for Garnish
How To:
In a cooking pot, add 2 cups of Mung Sprouts along with tomatoes. Add 4 cups of water & some salt. Boil for about 4 minutes until the mung beans are tender yet firm.
In a mixer grinder, Add a tablespoon of the cooked Mung Sprouts, Green Chilies, along with grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin seeds, Rasam Powder, Garlic, Tomatoes, Onions & Turmeric powder. Grind into a smooth paste adding a bit of water.
- Cooked Mung Sprouts
- 2 onions
- 4 Dry red chilies
- 1/2 cup of fresh grated coconut
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- A big pinch of Asafoetida
- 2 tsp cooking oil
- Salt as per taste
- juice of 1 lime
- Fresh Coriander for garnish
In a Kadhai, heat some cooking oil. Splutter cumin & mustard seeds. Add Asafoetida & Dry Red chilies. Sauté for 20 seconds
Add chopped onions & a pinch of salt and turmeric & Sauté until the onions turn pink.
Add the cooked Mung Sprouts & salt and give it a good mix. Add grated coconut & mix again. Check for salt. Let it stand on low heat for about 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat & add lime juice & chopped coriander. Mix well & set aside
Note:
- This Saaru is usually on the runnier side & it tastes good that way.
- Feel free to add any greens of your choice. Spinach, Amaranth or Dill Leaves are my favourite.
- If I don't cook the greens along with the lentils/sprouts, I use them to make Palya & stir fry them along with cooked sprouts/lentils
- Since I used sprouts, I didn't need to pressure cook them as they would turn mushy. cooking them for 3-4 minutes was enough to retain the bite
- You can also use Green Chilies instead of Dry Red Chilies to make the palya. Since, the palya is almost green in colour, It's easier to fish out the red chilies than the green ones
Serve the Saaru Piping Hot along with a serving of Palya on the side along with Ragi Mudde (Another favourite recipe that I got to blog) Add a few slices of onions on the side. And, don't forget that dollop of Ghee .. It's good for you, believe me :)
