Mataki chi Usal (Sprouted Moth Beans Dry Curry)

There are days that calls for simple soul food and today definitely is one of those days:)  After devouring delicious authentic dishes over the weekend(long) on account of a festival, I am craving for some plain simple food! Happens after every grand festival celebration, right?? 😀
I had soaked a couple of legume variety and left it to sprout. One of the many joys of summer days, I don't have to sweat to get sprouts! Keep the legumes outside and see it getting sprouted naturally and beautifully!

So ultimately matki(moth beans) won my vote and I ended up making, our all time favorite matki usal 😀  This is a very simple and basic preparation from the state of Maharashtra adopted by many other regions. It is packed with proteins and nutrients giving a satisfying feel to our palate. It is a dry vegetable preparation, one can have a gravy for a side dish along with matki usal to go with rotis or rice.

Let us take a look at the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3/4th cup matki (moth beans)
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 3/4 tsp chilli powder
• 3/4 tsp goda masala ( or garam masala)
• 1 tsp jaggery
• pinch of asafoetida
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/4th cup peanuts
• 2-3 petals of kokum 
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1-2 tbsp grated coconut
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Soak matki(moth beans) in water overnight or for 7-8 hours. Drain the water by adding the matki in a colander and leave it there for few minutes till all the water is drained out.
• Take a muslin cloth or any clean cotton cloth and place matki in the center. Gather all the edges and tie tightly. Put this pouch in a warm place for atleast 10 hours. You may require more time depending on the climate. That's why I am always thrilled to get sprouts in summer season without sweating :) I just keep the legumes on a plate overnight and see the sprouts in the morning.
• Now 3/4th cup of matki basically doubles in volume after soaking, so add it in a vessel, pour about 3 cups of water and cook on a med flame for about 20 minutes or till its cooked (don't cook till it is mushy). Drain the water and keep aside to use in other preparation like chapati dough etc.
• In the meantime, heat oil in a pan/kadai, add mustard seeds, once mustard seeds start spluttering add peanuts and quickly saute for few seconds, then add curry leaves and hing saute, then add turmeric powder, chili powder. Add boiled matki and saute for few minutes. Add some salt. 
• Cover the pan and cook for few minutes. Sprinkle some water if needed. Remember it is a dry sabji.
• After about 5 minutes, add kokum leaves and goda masala(or garam masala). When matki is almost done, sprinkle jaggery.  Stir everything together, garnish with cilantro and grated coconut.
• Serve hot with chapati, roti, rice, dal.

 You may also like missal pav, methichi bhaji, potato talasani.

Health Benefits:

moth beans (matki)

sprouted moth beans(matki)

Moth Beans (Matki) is known as a drought resistant legume. Matki is a potential reservoir of proteins and other essential minerals and vitamins. Moth bean is one of the major protein food sources. It is rich in protein and calcium, it makes an excellent supplement to cereal diet, especially for people who are unaware of the problems that malnutrition can push them into. It has a high content of magnesium and folate(Vit B9) which helps in muscle and nervous function, bone health,  RBC formation and reproductive health. It gives a filling sense when consumed in a small portion. Sprouted legumes are always healthier.

Mixed Sprouts Chilla with Besan (Sprouts Dosa)

Mixed Sprouts Chilla with Besan (sprinkled garlic chutney on top)

These days most of us are diet conscious and are always on a lookout for good healthy recipes. Here is one such recipe of sprouts chilla. It is gaining lots of popularity and is soon becoming a staple food in everyone's house. I must admit it is actually a very tasty and healthy dish (dosa). I fell in love with chillas the first time I tried it. I make it as a replacement for Rotis, works quite well.

Chillas can be made with lots of variation, you can use moong dal, matki, channa or oats etc etc. Add spices of your choice, I like to add green chillies- always first preference :), black peppers, cumin and ginger optional. One can add onions, tomatoes or cilantro...I mean the best part is you can play around with it and it still will come out yummy and tasty.

Get addicted to these chillas and see yourself shedding a couple of dress sizes :) I will try too :)

I had a field day with soaking different legumes overnight and getting sprouts. They look so beautiful :)

One of the foodie members Medha Rajpathak-Dhorje mentioned this recipe with the ingredients. I had to eyeball and make a note of measurements, tried it twice and came up with this recipe:

So cheers to Chillas, let me walk you through the recipe:

Ingredients: 

• 3/4th cup moong dal 
• 2 tbsp matki (moth beans)
• 2 tbsp kala channa (black chickpeas) 

[ so almost 1 cup of sprouts- you can use just 1 type of legume too ]

• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 3-4 pods garlic
• 5-6 black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin coarsely crushed
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1 tbsp yogurt (dahi)
• handful chopped cilantro
• oil to fry
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Soak the legumes overnight, in the morning drain out all the water and keep in warm place to sprout. To expedite the process, tie it in a muslin cloth and keep aside hung somewhere :) It is an easy process to do in summer time. In winter it may take 2-3 days to sprout.
• Add legumes, ginger garlic, chillies, yogurt in a blender and make a paste by using just enough water. 
• To this mixture add besan, salt, cumin seeds, onion, black pepper and cilantro. Mix everything and add water to make the batter a little runny than pancakes. Almost like dosa batter.
• Take a cast iron griddle and heat it, add 1/2 tsp oil and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula. 
• Take about half a cup of batter and pour it in the centre of the griddle and with the back of the ladle make circular motions and spread the batter like a dosa. 
• Add more drops of oil evenly around chilla. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, flip it and cook for a few more seconds on the other side.(some may skip this step if it is cooked completely). 
• Serve hot with cilantro chutney or coconut ginger chutney or yellow potato sabji, yogurt etc.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits: Sprouts are rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins. Legumes are in best form when consumed sprouted. The fact that sprouts have low glycemic index (GI) makes this legume food good for diabetics. It causes a slow and steady release of glucose into the bloodstream and thus, maintains your blood sugar levels. Sprouts also help in relieving mood changes during menstruation and post-menopausal symptoms in women. The high fibre content in them helps in promoting a healthy digestive system and intestine by lowering the risk of digestive disorders.