Matkyachi Usal
It was the day of Diwali and everyone had a holiday. And this meant that though we were not celebrating Diwali, but I wanted to make something different and special for lunch. I didn’t want to make the usual Kerala specialities like sambar, avial etc. Neither I wanted to make the typical North Indian style of rice, roti, dal makhni or rajma or chole. Neither Italian nor Indian Chinese. So, I finally decided to make a Maharashtrian style lunch
menu with rice, chapati, bharleli vaangi and matkyachi usal with papad, lonche and some koshimbir. You can check the recipe of my version of bharleli vaangi by clicking here.
Since the bharleli vaangi is going to be a spicy version, I tried to mellow down this usal by keeping the spice level to minimum. It tastes quite good with rice or chapatis or even phulkas. Make the “kat” and serve it as misal along with freshly baked pav or bread. So, let’s quickly get to the recipe. Feel free to make any variation in the amount of spices used.
Ingredients:
- Matki 1 cup
- Salt to taste
- Onion 1
- Tomatoes 2
- Garlic 3-4 cloves
- Green chilies 1-2
- Ginger 1 inch piece
- Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder 1 tsp
- Coriander powder 2 tsp
- Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
- Coriander leaves 2-3 sprigs
- Refined oil 1 tbsp
- Goda masala 1-2 tsp
Method:
- Soak matki or moth beans in water for 3-4 hours.
- Chop the onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and green chilies finely.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add add cumin seeds to it.
- When they splutter, add onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies.
- Saute them for few minutes.
- Now add the dry spice powders and cook till the raw smell goes off.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook.
- Now add the soaked matki and pour enough water.
- Add salt and cook till the beans are fully cooked and soft.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it with chapati or rice.
Notes:
- You may add store bought “goda masala” or any garam masala. I have added store bought misal masala to get that authentic Maharashtrian taste.
- You may skip adding green chilies. The amount of red chili powder can be increased or decreased according to your taste buds. The consistency of the curry can also be adjusted to suit your preferences.
