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 . 

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 .

Adults who want to follow a diet and cut down on heavy meals ,then this protein rich sundal made from Pacha paayar makes it a perfect choice .

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.  

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)

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 1 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 1 whistle 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 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 .

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This post has been updated with recent photos on 11 Feb 2023 as as a part of the Foodies_Redoingoldposts activity week 94 .

 

Moongacha Ambat - Guest Post by Priyadarshini Shah

I have a lot of friends who are amazing home cooks and dish out amazing,super yummy and healthy recipes.  I hit upon an idea to share their recipes also with all of you so that we can have a wider variety .
Today, I will present the 1st recipe in the Guest Post Series by my dear friend Priyadarshini Shah.

We became friends through a food group on social media and have been getting along well with our friendship ever since . Priya is a very warm and affectionate person and a lovely company to be with.  An amazing singer who also draws beautiful rangolis with intricate designs and eye catching color combinations. 
Let us now proceed to her recipe which I am producing here in her own words and style .
Priya owns the blog Priya's kitchen where you can find some amazing recipes .

When my dear friend Priya Vijaykrishnan asked to me to share a guest recipe for her blog I was in two minds if I should share a blogged recipe or do something special for her. Decided to venture into her speciality zone..which is no onion no garlic recipes. There is a recipe my MIL makes which very delicious and is without O&G. Felt this would be a perfect recipe to share on Priyas blog and a perfect reason for me to learn from my MIL. 

Ambat is a coconut based gravy along with moong. The major preparation needed is a bit laboursome which is the reason I have  not tried this recipe before myself though I have enjoyed being my MILs assistant. For this the green moong has to be sprouted and the skin (green cover) needs to be removed from it. This takes about 2 days time as we have to first soak the moong , drain and leave it to sprout , then again put water, leaving for sometime and then remove the skin. What is left is white sprouted moong. 

Now for the recipe.

Ingredients

De skinned sprouted moong -2 cups
Potato - 1 medium (chopped in cubes)
Ghee 1 tbsp for flavour (optional)

For tadka / tempering
Oil 1 tsp
Rai (mustard seeds) - 1 tsp
Methi seeds(fenugreek) -1/4 tsp
Hing (asafoetida) - 1/2tsp
Kadipatta (curry leaves ) - 2 sprigs

For making paste (vatan)
Coconut grated -1 cup
Dalchini -1 " piece (cinnamon)
Lavang -2 to 3 prices(cloves)
Elaichi -2 pieces (cardamom)
Dhane - 1 tbsp (coriander seeds)
Rai - 1/2 tsp ( mustard seeds)
Methi - 1/2 tsp (fenugreek seeds)
Red chillies - 6/7 ( can add more if u like it spicy) or use red chilli powder as per taste
Haldi (tumeric powder ) - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method
1. In a pan add oil and do the tempering with ingredients mentioned above. 
2. Add the moong and potato and fry for a minute. Then add water and tumeric powder. Let it cook till half done.
3. Add the vatan or ground paste , adjust water, salt and let this cook till moong is completely done. 
4. Add the ghee and give a good stir. This add good flavour.
5. Serve hot along with rice bhakri, chapati or rice garnished with coriander leaves.

Green gram Gravy | Hara Moong Sabji - Zero Oil - Easy cooker method

This time its totally an OIL FREE preparation..yes you read it right..NO OIL at all .

A quick preparation using the pressure cooker.

Ideal for all the health and calorie conscious foodies. 

This gravy is a No Onion No garlic version using the very healthy lentil - Green Gram / Hara Moong / Paccha Payar .

Skip the potatoes in the recipe and it can become Diabetic Friendly as well as Jain Friendly.

Moong Paratha | Greengram Flat bread - (Protein rich Paratha)

Moong(hindi) / Hessarakaalu (kannada)/Paccha payaru (tamil) belongs to the legume family rich in vitamins and proteins.

Moong is widely used in Indian cuisine in the form of gravies ,stir fries,salads. The dehusked version is the Moong Dhall/Paitham paruppu/Paasi paruppu  which is yellow in color used in preparation of Dals,kootu,sambar,payasam etc.

To know more about the nutritional value of the Moong bean you may refer to this information provided by Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mung_bean

 Though this is very high in nutrition many people donot relish this bean in any form for various reasons and people at my home also donot have it with much liking. So I invented this way of including it regular diet in the form of paratha and they were not able to identify what went into the paratha 😉. You can try to mask like this and feed it to your children and adults as well.
You can also check for other Roti/Parathas featured in this blog.

• Aloo Paratha
• Pudina Paratha
• Palak Paratha
• Lachha Paratha
• Missi Roti
• Fulka Rotis

Preparation Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 30-40mins
Makes : 12-14 parathas
Complexity : Medium High

Pesarettu / Green Gram Crepes

Pesarettu is a popular breakfast from the Andhra kitchens. Just like Adai ,Pesarettu is also a protein rich dosa made from green gram/pacha payar  /akkha hara moong .

The green gram is soaked for 4 to 6 hrs and ground to a  dosa batter consistency along with green chillies ,ginger ,jeera ,pepper and salt. 

Pesarettu needs no fermentation and can be prepared as soon as we grind the batter . There are slight variations to the way Pesarettu is prepared.  Some add a wee bit of udad dhall and rice along with the green gram while soaking. Another variation is soaking a few table spoons of yellow moong dhall with green moong. 

MLA  Pesarettu is a popular variant of Pesarattu where upma is stuffed inside the Pesarettu and served with ginger  chutney.  

Simple Pesarettu is topped with chopped onions while spreading and served hot .

I enjoy my Pesarettu with coconut chutney ,Molagapudi and curd .

Preparation Time : 8-10 hours
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 2-3

Jain Version : Omit the ginger and onion from the recipe and follow the rest of the recipe.
No Onion -Garlic Version : Omit onion from the recipe and follow the rest of the recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup whole green gram / moong /payar
3 tbsp moong dhall / split yellow dhall

2 tbsp udad dhall
2 tsp cumin /jeera seeds
3-4 green chillies
1 piece ginger
1 onion chopped
pinch of asafoetida

Lots of curry leaves  
salt to taste

Method

• Wash and soak the green gram,Udad dhall and moong dhall separately for about 4 to 6 hours.
• Grind the soaked ingredients with green chillies,ginger,cumin seeds,asafoetida in batches to a fine batter .(dosa batter like consistency.)
• Add lots of finely chopped fresh curry leaves,salt  to the batter and mix well.
  
• Heat a tawa/griddle ,pour a ladleful of batter and spread like a dosa on the tawa,drizzle oil and cook on both sides.
• Sprinkle finely chopped onions on the dosa and cook well.
• Serve hot with tamarind chutney,tomato chutney or coconut chutney.