Today being the birth anniversary of my maternal grandmother, what better recipe to dedicate to her than a simple yet delicious wholesome one pot recipe! I always looked forward to my grand mom visiting us in childhood as it meant we got to savour all the simple home cooked delicacies from the coast of Karwar. As I did not enjoy/partake of her non veg specialties, this was one of my favourite curries that she prepared for us each time she came over to stay.
Nutritious sprouted whole green gram, cooked in a delicately spiced coconut gravy, tempered with lightly fried onions.
Warm, nourishing and mildly spiced so as to bring out the beautiful flavour of the green gram or moong, with just a bit of tamarind for that tangy kick. Very few ingredients & really quick to make.
All you need is some plain hot steamed rice to drown in the curry & a dollop of ghee, again offering some healthy fats & your piping hot meal is ready! Perfect meal for a dreary, rainy, windy day!
What I loved & imbibed from my maternal grandmother was minimalism & zero-waste recipes, extracting the maximum use from every part from seed to peel. Most vegetables or fruits that entered her kitchen were utilised optimally, such that either the peels were ground into a chutney or stir fried or used in dosa batter & the larger seeds were boiled & used in gravies. Watermelons, gourd & pumpkin varieties, jackfruits are a few examples of this philosophy.
A jovial, welcoming and compassionate lady, a simple home cooked meal and a clean bed for the night is what she had to offer, but extremely large-hearted she was, thinking little of her arthritis-ridden ankles & painful joints.
Ever-smiling and enthusiastic, she enjoyed having an open house, always hosting people from all corners of the world in her home at any time. May God Bless her soul!
Modest living, mindful usage, clean & zero-waste eating. These may be age old values, but those that have unknowingly influenced me for life!
Recipe to Ajji’s Muga Ambat – Konkani Sprouted Green Gram Curry
Ingredients (Serves 4 Persons)
- 200 gms green gram / green moong, soaked & sprouted overnight
- 1 medium size onion, chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons oil
- Water as required
To roast & grind into a smooth paste
- 3-4 dry red chillies
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds / methi seeds
- 1 tablespoon raw rice grains
- 1 ladleful of boiled sprouts
- 1 cup grated coconut
- Lemon size ball of tamarind / 1 tablespoon thick tamarind pulp
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Procedure
- Boil and cook the sprouted pulses in sufficient water with ¼ teaspoon salt, until soft & the skins start to separate.
- In the meanwhile, to prepare the ground masala, in a small saucepan or kadhai, heat 1 teaspoon oil & saute the red chillies for 2 minutes on low heat until they darken.
- Add the fenugreek seeds & raw rice grains & saute again few seconds without burning.
- Add in a ladleful of cooked pulses, grated coconut, turmeric powder & tamarind pulp & switch off the heat. Mix well. Allow it to cool slightly.
- Once cooled, in a blender, grind these roasted ingredients together with ¼ cup water to form a thick but smooth fine paste as shown in the video. Add a little water at a time, using just enough to grind well.
- Add the ground paste to the cooked pulses along with the water in which it was cooked. Check for salt & spice. Bring it to a boil.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small tempering pan, prepare a seasoning with the chopped onions, saute until translucent and add it to the cooked gram curry.
- Serve hot with plain steamed rice.
Notes:
- Instead of onion, a seasoning with mustard seeds and curry leaves can also be used for religious occasions.
The Culinary Konnoisseur 
Heart warming write up.
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Many happy returns of the day to your Ajji, Amrita 🙏🏽.
I am definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing happy memories with us all.
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The family love in a recipe makes it the most delicious food in the world! Beautiful presentation, and I can almost catch a whiff of the aroma here!
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How nice to remember Aunty..I will also make this recipe. Looks so good.
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