A few things are simply not worth if they are not posted for posterity and this is one of them! The proud legacy of a family well built on it's values as well as culinary art. An art that lives for eternity! Every morsel of this dish is ambrosia :)
Yes I'm talking about the cynosure of all eyes, the most loved, the most wanted and the mitochondria of proteins- HURALI SAARU AKA HURALI KaaLina BaSSaru :) one can't help but fall in love with it! It is called BaSSaru because the broth of the cooked lentils is used to make this rasam, the act of draining the broth in order to make the saaru with it called 'Basiyodu' in Kannada. It's something that you'd wanna have over and again :) and yeah It's my family's signature 'saaru'-(rasam is called 'saaru' in Kannada) :) So what is the essence of this saaru that makes it so special? Well, it is quite obvious- the dark brown lentil- Horse gram. It is a treasure trove of proteins and is specially helpful in eliminating kidney stones. It has many other medicinal properties too. But i'm deriving and borrowing a few from my best friend- Google :) and sharing it with you.
Here are a few health benefits of Horse gram -
- It is known for its excellent diuretic and astringent .
- Ayurveda uses horse gram to treat a variety of conditions ranging from rheumatism to worm removal, treating Conjuctivitis and piles.
- Another great benefit of horse gram is its use in extracting phlegm. When suffering with cough, phlegm is a hard thing to get rid of. Taking horse gram water can eliminate the phlegm and give relief.
- Taking horse gram powder in a little bit of water regularly, helps in treating and controlling skin rashesand boils.
- Horse gram liquid is also used to regulate fever.
- It has phenols which helps in reducing weight
- Horse gram also helps in lowering cholesterol levels
- Lipids extracted from horse gram have shown to help with peptic ulcer in an study related rats.
- It also helps in reducing flatulence
Now getting to the recipe, It is a little laborious but you will definitely savour each bite which is totally worth the effort. I've tried and simplified it for you to the best of my ability. Feel free to shoot questions at me if you do have the doubting thomas creeping into your cranium :)
Ingredients
For the sauce-
Horse gram/ hurali 1 ½ cups salt as needed Tamarind extract 3 tbsp Rasam powder 2 tsp Mustard 1 tsp Jaggery 1 tsp Oil 1 tsp
To grind into a paste
Boiled horse gram 3 tbsp Tomato 1 Onion ½ Dhaniya powder ½ tsp Dry Red chilli 10 Coconut, grated ½ cup Cilantro 2 tsp
Onion 1 Mustard seeds 1 tsp Urad dal 1 tsp Channa dal 1 tsp Green chillis, chopped 4 Oil 2 tbsp
Directions
1. Boil the horse gram with 2 cups of water for 3 whistles. ( No it does not require soaking unlike other lentils or beans). Once it is done,filter the broth from the lentils and keep both of them aside.
2. SAUCE-On medium flame, heat one teaspoon oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering slightly add tamarind extract. Now add the rasam powder and jaggery. turn the flame to low and leave it aside.
3. Combine all the ingredients under the 'to grind into a paste' table in a blender and grind them to a smooth paste( make sure you do not add too much water)
4. Combine the ground mixture with the sauce and bring to a boil on medium flame until the raw smell goes, add the broth of the horse gram ( this is the point you get the aromatic flavour of this rasam). Add curry leaves and salt and boil it for two more minutes. Thats' it! the delectable Hurali saaru is all set and ready to savour with your favourite ragi ball or rice.
For the palya/curry- Now you can't possibly discard the lentils right? Well, why should you? You'll get to eat another delectable delicacy in 3 simple steps.
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, once they start spluttering add green chillis and onion and saute until the onions turn translucent.
2. Now add the boiled horse gram and give it a stir.
3. Add salt and a dash of sprinkle cilantro if you want. enjoy it Hot with rice and rasam.
Note
- Hurali/ horse gram generates a lot of heat in the body since it has a lot of proteins and vitamins so it is recommended that you drink a glass of buttermilk/ coconut water to avoid mouth ulcers, acne or dehydration which is likely to occur after a day or two.
- It tastes great with ragi balls but since I didn't have the time to prepare them I made rice. It goes equally well with rice too.
- The best part about this rasam is that it tastes even better the next day after you prepare it, so you could save some and refrigerate it for the next day's meal too :)