usal recipe

being born and raised up in mumbai, i cannot forget the  flavors and tastes of the maharashtrian cuisine. though i am fond of maharashtrian food like varan, puran poli, batata vada, sabudana vada, bharli vangi, panchamrut etc etc… usal and misal pav tops my list.

my favorite usal is the one which my mother makes. i have had some nice usals in mumbai and also some horrible ones too. i remember the usal pav and misal pav that was served in my office cafeteria… oh my god… it used to be horrible. these people do not know how to cook a simple usal recipe and make a joke out of it. i have also had the fiery kolhapuri usal that will make you sweat, sweat and sweat… but its awesome.

well in this post, is the recipe for the simple maharashtrian usal and its not fiery and hot, though if you like you could make it spicy and hot. this is my mother’s recipe for making the usal and has a malvan hint to it… coconut is used in this usal recipe.

actually there are many variations of making usal. some folks don’t even add coconut. some make it dry and some liquidy. so it depends from region to region.

ok… before i start to write about the recipe what is the difference  between usal and misal. i am sure many people must be getting confused with these two.

• usal is a curried dish made with legumes/sprouted legumes or mixed sprouted legumes and is had with pav (bread), chapati or rice… hence it is popularly known as usal pav.
• misal is a dish where the usal along with its curry or rassa is served in a bowl topped with dry farsan/chivda/sev and chopped onions, coriander leaves, lime. some folks add curd too. it is served with pav and so known popularly known as misal pav.

and now please don’t ask me what is farsan and i hope you know what is chivda and sev

as i mentioned before you can make usal with sprouted beans or unsprouted beans. generally in maharashtra, they make usal with sprouted moth/matki beans. however, you could use  moong/mung beans, black eyed beans/chawli and also black gram/kala chana. for this recipe i have used mixed sprouted beans. you could also add potatoes to this recipe.

you could sprout the beans on your own… much better and hygienic. for all those who are not sure about sprouting or do not know how to sprout beans, here’s two handy links for sprouting beans:

sprouting mixed beans
making mung/moong bean sprouts

so lets go to the step by step recipe of making usal:

usal recipe: serves 4-5

preparation time: 35 minutes
cooking time: 25 minutes

for the usal:

• 1.5 cups mixed legumes sprouts
• 1 medium sized onion chopped
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala powder (optional)
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• coriander leaves for garnishing
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt
• approx 2-3 cups of broth/stock got from boiling the sprouts

for the masala curry paste:

• 2 large onions, sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 1 cup dessicated coconut or 3/4 cup fresh coconut + 2 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 or 2 tsp oil
• water for grinding the masala paste

method to make usal:

• sprout the beans before hand to make the usal.

• pressure cook or steam the sprouted beans till they are cooked. strain and keep the broth/stock.

• on a tava or flat pan heat the 1 tsp oil. add the sliced onions

• and fry till they become transparent.

• add the fennel and coriander seeds to the onions and fry till their aroma starts to spread in your kitchen.

• add the ginger garlic and fry these too for 1-2 minutes.

• add the coconut

• and mix it well with the rest of the stuff.

• fry the coconut till brown… but remember not to burn the coconut… remember to fry the masala on a low flame.

• when the masala cools, make a paste of the masala in the grinder with some water.

• in another pan, heat the 2 tbsp oil and add the chopped onion.

• once the chopped onion becomes transparent add the masala paste. since we have already browned the paste, we have less work to do. just fry the paste for 1-2 minutes.

• add the turmeric and red chili powder.

• mix the above powders well with the coconut paste.

• add the boiled sprouts along with the broth/stock to the paste along with tomatoes to the consistency desired by you. also add salt.

• lastly let the entire curry simmer for 15-20 minutes.

• lo… the usal is ready and done.

• last step… just add chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

• have this usal hot hot with pav, chapati, poori or rice.
• you could also make misal pav with this usal.
• enjoy

usal recipe details are below:

usal recipe

 

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Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

usal is a maharashtrian curried dish made with legumes/sprouted legumes or mixed sprouted legumes and is had with pav (bread), chapati or rice

Author: dassana

Recipe type: curry

Cuisine: maharashtrian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• for the usal
• 1.5 cups mixed legumes sprouts
• 1 medium sized onion chopped
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp garam masala powder (optional)
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• coriander leaves for garnishing
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt
• approx 2-3 cups of broth/stock got from boiling the sprouts
• for the masala curry paste
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 1 cup dessicated coconut or ¾ cup fresh coconut + 2 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 or 2 tsp oil
• water for grinding the masala paste

Instructions

1. sprout the beans before hand to make the usal.
2. pressure cook or steam the sprouted beans till they are cooked. strain and keep the broth/stock.
3. on a tava or flat pan heat the 1 tsp oil. add the sliced onions
4. and fry till they become transparent.
5. add the fennel and coriander seeds to the onions and fry till their aroma starts to spread in your kitchen.
6. add the ginger garlic and fry these too for 1-2 minutes.
7. add the coconut
8. and mix it well with the rest of the stuff.
9. fry the coconut till brown… but remember not to burn the coconut… remember to fry the masala on a low flame.
10. when the masala cools, make a paste of the masala in the grinder with some water.
11. in another pan, heat the 2 tbsp oil and add the chopped onion.
12. once the chopped onion becomes transparent add the masala paste. since we have already browned the paste, we have less work to do. just fry the paste for 1-2 minutes.
13. add the turmeric and red chili powder.
14. mix the above powders well with the coconut paste.
15. add the boiled sprouts along with the broth/stock to the paste along with tomatoes to the consistency desired by you. also add salt.
16. lastly let the entire curry simmer for 15-20 minutes.
17. lo… the usal is ready and done.
18. last step… just add chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
19. have this usal hot hot with pav, chapati, poori or rice.
20. you could also make misal pav with this usal.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4

3.2.1652