Pachapayar Sundal | Green gram stir fry

 Whole green gram commonly called as moong (hindi), pachai payar (tamil) ,cherupayar (malayalam) , hessarukaal (kannada) and pesalu (telugu) is widely used in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the southern States of India in the daily diet .

The moong beans belong to the legume family & are a powerhouse of nutrients ;  rich in proteins , vitamins and dietary fibre . 

The moong beans are soaked overnight or for min of 6 to 8 hrs and then cooked to get the maximum benefits. 

Like any other beans, soaking and then cooking helps in easy digestion thus preventing issues of flatulence and gastric trouble. 

Many delicious and lipsmacking delicacies , both savory as well as sweets are prepared using  Moong . In Kerala , a mildly spiced gravy is prepared using the green gram and served with rice gruel called "Kanji" while in Andhra , the famous Dosa variety Pesarettu uses this bean as the main ingredient.  In Maharashtra and Gujurat a gravy with masalas and spices is prepared which is paired with rotis . Sometimes even khichdi( खिचड़ी ) is prepared with these whole green gram.

Some healthy and tasty recipes using pachai payar / green gram on my blog you may want to try.

Andhra Pesarettu / Green Gram Crepes 

Moong Paratha / Green Gram flat bread 

Moong bhaji / Green gram gravy ( zero oil)

In Tamil Nadu , a tasty stir fry called as Sundal is prepared during Navratri as an offering to Devi during the 9 days . A sweet version is also prepared, which I shall blog soon. Today we shall see how to prepare this tasty and healthy sundal. These can be served to children along with their evening milk or even as a mid morning snack as now a days kids are attending online classes due to the pandemic and tend to feel more hungry than usual .

Soaking Time - 6 to 8 hrs

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 30 mins

Complexity - simple 

Serves - 3 to 4 

Ingredients 
150gms green gram/payar / akhha moong
1 tsp mustard seeds
2  green chillies finely chopped 
5 to 6 tbsp fresh grated coconut 
Few fresh curry leaves 
Small piece ginger finely chopped  (skip for jain version) 
Salt as needed
Pinch of asafoetida

Method

• Wash the moong beans under running water and then soak it for 6 to 8 hrs.
• Drain the soaked water , wash it once again and pressure cook with sufficient water for 2 whistles on medium flame .Add salt while pressure cooking.  Don't over cook as it will get mushy.  Since we have soaked for 6 + hrs 2 whistles will be enough . Incase you have soaked for less than 6 hrs then you may have to cook for 3 to 4 whistles .
• Once , pressure cooker releases , strain the cooked beans through a colander and drain out the excess water . This water can be used to knead the dough or in preparation of dhall, sambar, rasam etc. Donot discard this cooked water .
• In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and splutter the mustard seeds , followed by green chilies , chopped ginger , curry leaves and asafoetida. 
• Add this cooked moong beans and stir it well .Adjust salt if needed and cook covered for 2 mins ..this allows the flavor of ginger and green chillies to blend with the cooked moong.
• Turn off the stove, open the lid and mix the fresh grated coconut and your delicious sundal is ready .