Green gram usli or hesaru kaalu usli is a healthy side dish commonly prepared during festivals in south india. Mung beans are one of the most nutritious legumes. Mung/ Green gram is rich in protein & fiber; making usli from green gram is one of the ways of consuming this nutritious legume. Usli is tasty, filling and easy-to-make so it can be included in our regular diet. It could be eaten for breakfast, or as a side dish alongside rice & sambar or as a snack too.

Preparing the green gram usli is quite simple. The trick is only in cooking the green gram so that it retains its shape yet it’s cooked well inside. Here’s the recipe for this yummy Indian salad – usli.

Ingredients:

For pressure cooking:
150g/ 1 cup green gram – Soaked for 4 hours
2.5 cups water
A pinch of salt

preparation:

Pressure Cooking:

1. Drain out water from green gram and transfer it to a pressure cooker.
2. Pour 2.5 cups of water and add a pinch of salt.
3. Pressure cook on medium flame until 3 whistles or until green gram is fully cooked.
4. Drain out excess water and set cooked green gram aside.

Tempering:

1. Heat oil in a cooking pan on medium flame.
2. Add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle.
3. Add dried chilli, curry leaves and fry them for 30 seconds.
4. Add a pinch of asafoetida, followed by the cooked green gram and salt to taste. Combine well.
5. Add grated coconut and stir fry for a minute.
6. Enjoy green gram usli alongside rice & sambar or as a salad.

note:

• You can tweak the quantity of each ingredient as per your taste and preference.
• Do not over cook green gram. Over cooking will make it mushy and usli might end up becoming like a paste.
• Usli can be stored in refrigerator for a day.