Mooga Ghashi (Sprouted whole green gram in tangy coconut gravy-Konkani Style))

 

“Mooga ghashi” is a sprouted mung bean/green gram, coconut based gravy and a traditional delicacy of the Konkani (GSBs) Hindu community of Mangalore in the southern part of India.

This easy to make, delicately flavored and minimally spiced dish is often enjoyed with some hot, steaming rice but is also a perfect side with any Indian bread too.

“Moogu” is nothing but moong/green gram/mung beans in Konkani, the native language of this small community.

"Ghashi" is one of our favorites when we need something to enjoy with rice and is a standard and basic coconut masala ; a blend of freshly grated coconut, fresh tamarind and roasted dry red chilies with a seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves or even crushed garlic.

Coconut being a big staple of our community as this Mangalorean region is known as the coastal town full of mango and coconut groves, we tend to add it in any way we can in our daily cooking!

Grow local, eat local for the best flavors!

But if you are in other parts of the world, feel free to use locally sourced coconut (fresh or even frozen) and you can use unsweetened desiccated coconut too as your last choice if you want to make ghashi.

In addition to moong beans, we use any cooked beans like black, red, white beans etc., veggies like potato, green beans, pumpkins, squashes etc. or even some greens like spinach, beet greens, colocasia leaves, amaranth leaves etc. too to make a different ghashi every day!

This simple mild curry, a comfort food for people from our community is always enjoyed with hot steamed rice and some dry vegetable stir fry (upkari) on the side!!!

Along with sprouted moong, feel free to add chopped potatoes, yam or even bamboo shoots for more texture and flavor!

KONKANI CUISINE:

This south Indian cuisine (from the Konkani community of Mangalore in the southern state of India called "Karnataka") is unique as most of the dishes are coconut based; either made into a coconut gravy or used in the grated form as a garnish and/or part of a dish (due to Mangalore being a coastal town with umpteen coconut groves all over!).

If you compare with other cuisines of India, Konkani cuisine uses very minimal spices (sometimes just 1 or even 2) and ingredients, yet comes out with super delicious and super nutritious dishes!

There are upkaris or stir fries, which are basically dry vegetable, legumes or beans stir fries either with a simple garlic tempering or mustard tempering and some dry red chilies for heat; that is it!

Or ghashi, koddels, hummans, bendis etc. which are all variations of the above mentioned coconut based gravies with again different tadkas or tempering like either just a garlic or mustard or just hing/asafetida tadka/tempering/seasoning and sometimes onions....then it is called "ambat".

I am talking about just the tip of the iceberg as far as Konkani food is concerned.

This is one cuisine which has not got the attention it deserves.

You can check out some of the basic Konkani recipes from my blog here.

HOW TO MAKE MOOGA GHASHI

Like I said, it is a coconut based gravy.

Whole green moong/mung beans are soaked overnight, sprouted and cooked in a simple typical coconut masala  and then given a simple basic tadka or tempering of only mustard seeds and curry leaves in traditionally again coconut oil but you can use any cooking oil you like.

That coconut masala has just freshly grated coconut (frozen or even unsalted desiccated coconut works well), roasted dry red chilies (or you can use red chili powder too if you cannot find dry red chilies) and a small piece of fresh tamarind (or tamarind paste).

That is it! Just blend those to a fine paste and then use in ghashis, koddels, ambats etc. and here we are using it to make mooga ghashi.

Normally, these coconut masalas add 6 to 8 or even 10 roasted dry red chilies to fire it up to the heat you like but here, strangely, in mooga ghashi, you need only 1 or maybe 2 to spice it up! 

I have tried using more in mooga ghashi but funnily, it amps up the heat multifold that it is absolutely inedible being too fiery to enjoy! Go figure!!!! (So do not add more than 1 or at the most 2 dry red chilies)!

Nevertheless, the end result is this uber delicious, heavenly concoction of nutritious sprouts in a mildly spiced gravy; with minimal spices and all you get is the aroma of that sprouted mung beans!

Traditionally, I have seen my family (mom, aunts, grandmothers etc.) soaking the sprouted mung beans in plenty of water for at least 5 to 8 hours or even overnight. This process separates the skin from the mung bean body. Then they painstakingly peel each mung bean sprout; a time consuming chore before pressure cooking the sprouts!

I used to do that too, but lately, decided to leave them alone in the curry; more nutrition for the family!

Once soaked and peeled (if doing so), pressure cook the mung bean sprouts for a couple of minutes or just 1 to 2 whistles, just to soften it up a bit. DO NOT OVER PRESSURE COOK! You need to cook the beans but they should still have a bite in them.

Of course, spoon out all the skins that float to the top (which happens when pressure cooking) if you prefer but do not worry about peeling all of them as they turn soft after pressure cooking and are perfectly edible.

Then just add some salt and the coconut paste, dilute to adjust the consistency and simmer for about 5 minutes.

One final tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves  in some coconut oil or any cooking oil and it is time to dig in!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Of course, like any Konkani meal, we enjoy it with hot, cooked rice and a side of upkari like Beans Upkari, Asparagus Talasani etc.

But if you are the roti/chapati/paratha person, feel free to dunk them in this super yum Konkani style Mooga Ghashi.

You can enjoy this simple, sumptuous, comforting ghashi on Vrat/fasting days too when you have to avoid onion and garlic and it is also totally vegan and gluten free.

Do try this my foodie friends! You will love it too.

If you do happen to try this "ghashi" in your home, I would be thrilled to see  and hear about it.

Pease leave your comments and thoughts (do not forget to rate it with a star rating) in the box below or share your version on Instagram (tagging @curryandvanilla16; #curryandvanilla16) and/or share it on my Facebook page.

Step by step method:

To prepare the moong sprouts:

Soak the green gram overnight and drain all the water.

Cover with a wet towel and keep in a warm place to germinate. In about another day, they would have sprouted.  Soak again in water for a couple of hours.  Drain, wash and try to remove as much skin as possible.

In a pressure pan, place the sprouted beans with some water.

Cook for about one whistle till soft and still holds its shape.  If you do not have a pressure pan, cook with lots of water till tender and soft; take care not to overcook.

For the coconut masala:

Grind coconut, roasted red chillies and tamarind with a little water to a fine paste.

Transfer this coconut paste to the cooked green gram, add salt to taste.

Mix gently and bring to a boil.

For the seasoning:

Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves.

Pour this seasoning into the moong-coconut gravy and mix.

Serve hot with steamed rice.
Note:

This ghashi can be prepared by adding potato (peeled, finely chopped and added to the sprouts before cooking), bamboo shoots, suran etc. for variation.

Take care not to add more red chillies as this dish is not very spicy. I have added only 2.