Maharashtrian matki usal

One of my lunches this week was this delicious matki usal. Matki or moth beans are a brown legume and they are very tasty - even better when you sprout them! I posted a recipe for matki upkari (a Konkani recipe using sprouted moth beans which I make from time-to-time). Matki upkari is made with tomatoes, onions, and spices like cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric. This matki usal is ever so slightly different as it doesn't contain any tomatoes. 

So - this dry (no gravy) Maharashtrian dish is made from moth bean sprouts, coconut, onions and curry leaves. Simple spices like cumin seeds and mustard seeds flavour the dish, and I also tend to add some tamarind and jaggery as well for that extra depth of flavour. Healthy, easy and quick to make and ready within 20 minutes - this is my kind of food and the type of food I enjoy cooking the most. So delicious with rice and dal or on its own with chapatis!

Ingredients 
Serves 4

150g (1 1/2 cup) bean sprouts 
Vegetable oil as required 
1 large red or white onion finely chopped 
Salt to taste 
1 green chilli slit 
Water as required 
1/2 tsp tamarind paste 
1 tsp jaggery or unrefined sugar 
Few tbsp freshly grated coconut (or desiccated coconut) 
Handful curry leaves fresh or frozen 
Handful fresh coriander leaves chopped 

You'll need these spices 
1 tsp mustard seeds 
1 tsp cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp turmeric 

Method 
Cook time - 30 minutes

• Add a glug of vegetable oil to a pan on medium heat. Add 1tsp each of mustard and cumin seeds and let them sizzle. 
  
  
• Next add a handful curry leaves and the slit green chilli. 
  
  
• Add the chopped onion and sauté until lightly golden. 
  
  
• Next add the sprouted moth beans, the turmeric and salt to taste. Mix well and then add a splash  of water. 
  
  
• Cover with a lid and then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the beans are soft, adding a splash more water during the cooking process if the beans are catching on the bottom. Depending on the quality of your lentils they may need longer.
  
  Finish with the tamarind paste and jaggery and mix well. Sprinkle over a generous amount of freshly grated coconut and chopped coriander and enjoy!!