Swaadista

Sprouted horse gram curry or Molake hurali Kalu saaru is a traditional, savory curry from the state of Karnataka, India. It’s made with sprouted horse gram, potatoes, brinjal, and a freshly ground masala paste. Horse gram pulses is rich in protein and has proven to have several health benefits and is hence used to prepare both savory and sweet dishes.

The recipe for this curry is simple. Most of the cooking effort goes into preparing the fresh masala paste – sautéing onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, and whole spices, then making a paste by adding coconut and powdered spices. You can also replace horse gram with other pulses like black chickpeas, black-eyed peas, white chickpeas, and green gram in this recipe to make a protein-rich curry. For the sprouted black chickpeas recipe, click here.

Molake hurali Kalu saaru tastes best with steamed white rice, quinoa, millets, and ragi mudde.

I hope you try this recipe, and love it as much as I do!

Prep time: 48 hours(Including sprouting time)
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3 – 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of coconut oil or any cooking oil of choice

1/4 teaspoons mustard seeds
a sprig of curry leaves
150g horse gram, sprouted
1 large potato, cut into small cubes
2 baby brinjals, cut into small cubes
handful of coriander leaves, chopped
350ml Water

For the masala paste:
2 tablespoons of coconut oil or any cooking oil of choice
1 small onion, diced
1 medium sized tomato, diced
2 green chilies (for heat)
3-4 dried red chili, for color
3 cloves
1/4 inch cinnamon
4-5 cloves of garlic
1/4 inch ginger root
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds
3 tablespoons of freshly grated or frozen coconut
2 tablespoons of coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste

How to sprout horse gram?

1. Rinse 1 cup or approximately 150g of horse gram thoroughly in water and soak it overnight.
2. The next morning, drain out water using a clean, light-colored cotton cloth (preferably white) and seal horse gram with the same wet cloth.
3. Cover a vessel on top of it and leave it undisturbed for 24 hours.
4. You will notice long sprouts of horse gram just like this.
5. If living in colder countries, it may take up to 48 hours for the horse gram to sprout.

Method:

1. For the masala: Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan on medium heat. Add and sauté dried red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, poppy seeds for 20 seconds. Then add ginger, garlic, onions, and green chilies and sauté until onions turn translucent. Then, add tomatoes and sauté until they soften. Turn off heat and allow these ingredients to cool, then transfer into a mixer jar. Further, add grated coconut, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Pour little water and blend this into a fine masala paste.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves and let them splutter. Then add sprouted horse gram, potatoes, and brinjal and fry for a minute or two.
3. Pour the freshly made masala paste into the pressure cooker, stir, and sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Pour 350ml of water, stir, and allow it to come to a boil.
5. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.
6. Cover the lid and pressure cook on medium heat until five whistles or until the horse gram is tender. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to naturally depressurize.
7. Adjust the consistency of molake hurali Kalu saaru by adding water if necessary.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot molake hurali Kalu saaru with steamed rice, quinoa, or Ragi mudde with a dollop of ghee. Enjoy!

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Happy cooking, happy eating!