Sprouted lentils usal

Lentils when sprouted are healthier.Mixed lentil sprouts can be made into usal or sprouts curry.This can be made watery or thick.Watery usal will go great with rice.This usal will be an excellent side dish to chapptis,puris,etal.Usal pav or misal pav  is a popular Mumbai or better still,a Maharashtrian street fare.Misal is usal which has been granished with liberal sprinkling of farsan like sev, chuda, namkeen ( chickpea flour or besan  flour savouries in numerous forms ).

Any of the lentils can be used.Since ,I had moong,amtki,chawli & white peas at home,I ued them.Even black chana,white kabuli chana,kala vattana,etc can be used.

Ingredients : 1.5 cup mixed lentils soaked overnight,for 1 night & then sprouted for 1 day in a cloth tied into knot or sprouted in the sprout container,1 medium onion finely chopped,1 medium tomato finely chopped,1 small carrot peeled & grated( optional ),1/2 red capsicum finely chopped,1/2 yellow capsicum finely chopped, a bunch of fresh coriander leaves cleaned & finely chopped, juice of half a lemon,1/2 piece ginger cleaned & grated,1 green chilli finely chopped, 1/2 tsp haldi,1/2 tsp hing,1tsp mustard seeds,1 tsp sambhar powder,1 tsp rasam powder,1 tbsp oil,salt to taste.


Method : Pressure cook on high flame, the sprouted mixed lentils for 2 whistles.Then lower down the flame & cook for 5-10 more minutes.Put off the gas.Keep aside.

Take a kadhai .Heat oil in kadhai.Add mustard seeds.After they splutter,add the chopped green chilli piecesfollowed by the haldi & hing.Now add the pressure cooked lentils to the kadhai.Mix all nicely.Add sambhar & rasam powder .Mix all the ingredients in the kadahi.The lentil mixture will be boiling now Add salt & mix nicely.Pleas see the water content .If you feel it is too watery ,let it boil for more time till it gives a a consistency desired.If water is too less ,add some water & let it simmer so that all is nicely mixed.Put off the gas.Add lemon juice & mix nicely .

Serve usal in bowls.Garnish with fresh veggies finely chopped.Top the fresh veggies with finely chopped dhania..Serve with chappatis or rice.

We had it just like that for a protein rich  breakfast !

Ragda patties

I keep searching for recipes on the net  which I can try.I chanced to see the ragda patties recipe & thought why not try it ? I tried it & found it quite easy to replicate.

Ingredients for Ragda  : 1 cup white vatana ( peas ) soaked overnight,1/2 tsp turmeric,1/2 tsp hing,1 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp red chilli powder,1/2 tsp dhania jeera powder,salt to taste.

Ingredients for garnish : a bunch of fresh dhania cleaned & finely chopped,1 cup thin sev ( available in market ) ,1-2 onions finely chopped.

Method : Pressure cook the white peas in 3 cups water for 3-4 whistles.After the 4th whistle ,slow down the gas . Keep the cooker on slow flame for 5 minutes.Put off the gas.Let the cooker cool.

In the meanwhile make the green chutni as given in sandwich dhokla recipe .Make kahjur chtni as in Sev puri recipe .

Patties can be aloo tikkis or vegetable tikkis ( opt out of using beet root as beet root will colour the tikkis a deep pink, which kids may not eat ).

After cooker has cooled,remove the ragda from the cooker.In avessel ,heat 1 tbsp oil.Add dhana jeera powder followed by red chilli powder.Pour the mashed ragda onto the spice mixture .Mix nicely Bring this ragda -spice mixture to boil.Add salt.Mix.Put off the gas.Keep aside.

Take 2 patties on to a plate.Pour 1/4 cup of ragda mix on top of the patties.Now put 1 tsp each of green chutni & khajur chutni on top of the ragda on the patties.Put chopped onions on top of the chtuni followed by the sev & top it up with freshly choppped dhania..This is quite a heavy chaat & fills tummies fast !

As seen from snap,I did not have thin nylon sev.I got some bhujia sev which was available nearby.I felt that my ragda was not mashy enough ( like thick tur dal consitency ) ...next time on ,I will cook it more till it has more even consitency & post new pictures !