Horsegram Side Dish - Konkani style (Kulith Upkari)

Horsegram also known as Kulith in Konkani is a popularly used pulse. I've earlier blogged about Kulith Saaru, a family favorite and Kulith Koddel, which is another personal favorite dish. Once cooked, Kulith beans pack a powerhouse of energy and are equally high in Calcium and Protein. In India, its also popularly cooked and offered to cows as cattle feed.

Kulith Upkari, a side dish made in many Konkani homes pairs well with Rotis. Strangely, it was not the most sought after dish in my parents home nor in my grandparents home. Guess, the default option was always a Koddel because it was a one pot meal and fed many mouths. Much respite and easier day for the home cook!

Kulith Upkari 
A Konkani style side dish made with Horsegram

Prep Time: 6-10 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
Horsegram (soaked, pressure cooked) - 3/4  cup

For Seasoning -
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies (split into two) - 2
Green Chillies (slit lengthwise) - 1
Curry leaves - a sprig
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Coconut oil

For Garnish -
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Method:
Clean the beans and remove any grime and dirt. Wash and rinse in multiple changes of water. Soak for 8-10 hours. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Allow to cool. Save the stock of cooked beans for  making Kulith Saaru.
In a deep bottomed vessel, heat a few spoons of coconut oil. Once the oil is hot enough, season with mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and broken red chillies. Add the asafoetida now and give a good stir. Transfer the cooked beans to the seasoning, give a good mix. Season with salt, sprinkle 1/2 cup of warm water and cover with a lid. Cook for 5-10 minutes by bringing to boil and then simmer away. Once done, garnish with grated coconut. Fish out the chillies if required before serving. Serve with Rotis or as a side dish.

Horsegram Soup (Kulitha Saaru/ Hurali Saaru)

This year we witnessed an uncommon heat wave. With temperatures soaring high my tiny matchbox kitchen feels like a furnace, my motivation to cook elaborate dishes has changed to quick cook recipes. I prefer recipes which takes less than 15 or 30 minutes to cook. More often than not, Saaru and Upkari seems to be the order of the day - simple, healthy and nutritious.

Horsegram is one of the most widely used pulse in Konkani cuisine. It is also known as Kulith in GSB Konkani and Hurali in Kannada. I get my stash from India; the only problem with the quality of pulse we get is more often than not they have lot of stones and grime. Hence the entire stash needs a round or two of thorough cleaning before use. Another quirky nature of this legume is that its loaded with heat giving property (garmi). Ammama served this with a dollop of home made butter and I prefer it that way. Use your choice as per your dietary practice. Many many decades ago, we had a tiny stable with cows who were my Ajja's and Ammama's beloved ones, their names were Ganga and Yamuna. She soaked couple of padee's of horsegram and boiled them in a gigantic copper pot the next day; the stock was preserved for making Saaru for the entire family and the cows happily munched on the boiled legume.

Horsegram is a storehouse of Iron. It is primarily a cattle feed, it is believed to improve the dexterity of their calve muscles and improve their bone strength. In many Konkani homes I know, this Saaru is regularly fed to growing kids for strong calf muscle strength and dexterity. The horsegram is of dubious nature when it comes to cook time, sometimes the legumes cook in a blink and sometimes they take hours together, all this is relative to the yield of crop, gene pool of seeds and the harvest season as well. Some of the other dishes made using Horsegram are Kulith Idli (Sannan), Kulitha Chutney, Kulith Koddel, Kulith Upkari.

~ Kulitha Saaru ~
Preparation time: Soak time of 8-10 hours
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
Horsegram (Kulith) stock - 3 cups
Cooked Horsegram - 3 tbsp
Green Chillies (slit lengthwise) - 2
Oil/Ghee/Butter
Salt

For seasoning -
Red Chilli (Byadgi) - 1
Garlic jumbo pods (crushed) - 4-6
Oil/Ghee

Method:

Soak the horsegram in ten times the volume of water after thoroughly cleaning them and rinsing them in three changes of water. They will proliferate in size the next day around. Pressure cook them for 4-6 whistles with little salt and a tsp of oil. Once cool, strain off the stock (cooked liquor) and set aside 3 tbsp of cooked horsegram. Set aside the rest of the cooked horsegram.
Bring the cookes stock to a rolling boil, season with salt, green chillies. Blend the cooked horsegram to a puree with little water. Add this paste to the boiling stock. Bring to boil and simmer on low flame for 5-8 minutes, cook till the rawness goes off and the stock is a smooth blend. In a separate frying pan, heat few spoons of oil and season with red chilli split into two and crushed garlic. Saute till the garlic turns light brown. Pour this seasoning on the cooked stock and cover with a lid. Mix while serving and if desired, serve with a dollop of butter (home made). Pair with white rice.

Horsegram and Chinese Cucumber Curry in Spicy Coconut Gravy (Kulitha Koddel with Magge)

Horse gram or Kulitha or Kulthi as its called in Konkani is a powerhouse of nutrition and goodness. This is a lesser known variety and I have seen very few families cooking it nowadays. This bean is cooked quite a lot in my home due to the health properties Horse gram empowers one with. Rich in iron, this is a very heat enduring bean. Ideal to eat during winters, the bean keeps the body warm, but should not be eaten in excess as well.Owing to the heat enduring nature of this bean, its always paired with a cooling vegetable to complement in my house. This was Granny's logic to combat and balance the vegetable and their natural properties and the generations to come have been following it for years now. The bean enables in elimination of kidney stones. I found them here in Asian grocery stores and they go by the name of "Kulthi". Chinese Cucumber or Magge you find in US are much smaller and all yellow in color.

In olden days, the boiled stalk remaining after boiling the beans was offered to cows, cattle reared at home and horses as a fodder. This stalk offered strength and stamina to the bones and made them more strong. I save the boiled stalk for next day to enjoy simple "Saaru". The broth has to be boiled till it thickens and then seasoned with sauted garlic and red chillies. Some even address it as Kulitha Kadi which is finding lot of local popularity as a healthy beverage served during weddings and family get together now. I found this cool when I came to know for a cousin's wedding this was served as a soup based welcome drink.

The curry is cooked along with different vegetable combinations like Horse gram and seasonal vegetables like Chinese Cucumber (Magge), Chinese Potato (Kooka), Drumstick (Shengaa) or Malabar Spinach stems (Bhaaji Dentu). The curry with Garlic seasoning is called "Koddel", if done with pulses its termed as "Bendee". I also came across another interesting theory for naming the curries; my cousins informed me that coconut-red chillies-tamarind based curries cooked with pulses, beans are termed as Bendee in Mangalore and Koddel if you are from Udupi. Its so fascinating knowing how our cuisines originate and the finer change which the cuisine undergoes with a subtle change in geography and locations. I am simply awed!

Preparation time: 3-4 hours for soaking the beans

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Horsegram or Kulith - 1 1/2 cup

Chinese Cucumber or Magge (chopped with skin on) - 1 1/2 cup

Grated coconut - 3/4th cup

Red Chillies - 4-5

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Coconut Oil - For frying

Garlic (crushed) - 4-5 pods

Method:

Pre-soak the beans in water for 3-4 hours. Pressure cook for 2 whistles or till the bean is completely cooked along with chopped Chinese cucumber pieces. Along side, roast red chillies and allow to cool. Grind to a paste along with grated coconut and tamarind. Bring to boil the beans and chopped cucumber, add ground paste and adjust salt and water. Simmer on low flame for 10-15 minutes till its completely cooked. In a separate pan, heat coconut oil, saute crushed garlic in it and pour this seasoning on the curry and cover the lid. Serve warm along with rice as a side dish.

Tip: Crush the garlic alongwith skin for better flavour to the curry. Horsegram is a tricky bean, sometimes even after soaking it could under boil or get mushy or overcooked, use your discretion and watchful eye while cooking the bean. The boiling point for the bean depends on various factors influenced by rain, time of harvest of crop, soft water or hard water quality. For better flavour, retain the skin of Magge or Chinese Cucumber. Its more flavourful if skin is retained.