Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Lentil Or Kollu Masala (Sprouted [Or Not!] Lentil Or Horsegram/Muthirai/Kulith Curry)

Horse gram or Macrotyloma uniflorum, also known as Kollu, Muthirai, Kulith etc in various regions of India, is a well-loved legume as are lentils known as whole Masoor. Kollu is called horse gram as it is fed to racehorses to make them strong. Horse gram is considered very hearty and health giving - supposed to make one strong as a horse!

Save excess cooking water from the kollu and use it for making Kollu Rasam - a delicious treat!

Note: Sprouting legumes is pretty easy; just takes a little planning and time. If you cannot wait to sprout the legumes, go ahead and make the curry without sprouting; but I do highly recommend a good soak overnight or a bit longer for kollu. Lentils on the other hand, cook pretty quickly even without a soaking.

4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dry Lentils or Kollu
1 tsp Oil
2 dried Red chiles
5 cloves
½ inch piece cinnamon
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground Coriander seeds
1-2 cloves fresh Garlic, minced (optional)
½ inch piece ginger, minced
1-2 Green Chiles, cored and minced (Jalapeno or Serrano)
2 Tbsp fresh Coriander/Cilantro, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
½ tsp Turmeric
1 tsp salt
¼ -½ cup Coconut Milk
½ - 1 tsp Garam Masala

Garnish
4 Tbsp fresh Coriander/Cilantro, chopped

METHOD:

Soak, sprout, & cook the Lentils or Kollu/Horse gram:

Pick over, wash, and soak the gram in plenty of water to cover for a few hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, and keep covered for a few hours until tiny sprouts begin to appear. Sprouting may take a day or two depending on the weather; warm weather speeds up sprouting. 

Drain the sprouts, wash well, and cook in enough fresh water to cover until soft - about 40 to 50 minutes, checking often to make sure it doesn't dry out or burn. Alternately use your pressure cooker to speed up cooking. This can be done a day ahead.  Mash the lentils/kollu while still hot so that it becomes a little creamy. If made ahead, cool and refrigerate.

Make the curry:

Heat oil in a 2-3 quart/liter saucepan. Add the dried red chiles, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and bay leaf; let them sizzle, become fragrant, and slightly brown but not burned. 

Add the onions and cook covered until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Add ground coriander and cook stirring for a few seconds.

Stir in ginger, chile, coriander/cilantro, and garlic if using and cook until they soften, about a minute.

Tip in the cooked lentils/horse gram with the cooking liquids along with the tomato, turmeric and the salt.

Cover, bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk and garam masala; heat through. 

Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Fish out the chiles and discard.

Serve hot garnished with the coriander/cilantro with rice or roti. Enjoy!!

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