Horse gram is called the miracle pulse, since it is very rich in protein, calcium and is full of antioxidants. It is known to be an elixir for many ailments, such as, diabetes, heart disease, kidney stones, asthma, obesity, cold and many more.
Growing up in India, we ate horse gram very often, and at that time, all I was told, is that is very nutritious and gets its name because it is so protein rich that they feed it to race horses. 100 grams of horse gram contains 22 grams of protein. Soaking the horse gram before cooking is very important, to make it more digestible. Horse gram also contains phytic acid which is an anti-nutrient – that means it can stop your body from absorbing all that nutrient goodness. According to research, if you soak, sprout or cook horse gram seeds before putting them in your food, the phytic acid content is significantly reduced. Many different preparations were made from horse gram , and this "koddhel" was one of our family favorites.
This curry, "Koddel" in Konkani, is made with a spicy ground paste of coconut, roasted red chillies and tamarind. It is then seasoned with lots of garlic preferably in coconut oil.
Horse gram Koddel (Also pictured Cauliflower pHodi, chicken curry and cluster beans upkari /stir fry, quinoa)
Recipe
Ingredients:
• 1 cup Horse gram (kuLith) cleaned, washed and soaked for a few hours or overnight.
• 1/2 cup of bamboo shoots (keerlu) (I usually use a small can that is already cut in slivers)
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 10 roasted red chillies (I used 8 Bedgi and 2 regular red chillies. You can adjust for your taste)
• Marble sized Tamarind lump 0r tamarind paste
• 2 tbsps of oil
• 10 - 12 cloves of garlic (I add more as we love garlic)
Koddel with garlic seasoning
Steps:
1. Cook the soaked horse gram (kuLith) till tender. I used the pressure cooker, about 7 whistles
and wait till the pressure goes down and its safe to open the lid. You can always add more
time if it has not cooked to your satisfaction. (You can use pressure cooker or instant pot)
2. Next, add in the drained and washed bamboo shoots, and boil some more. The canned one
is usually precooked. (Alternatively you can also use raw jackfruit, or drumstick pieces too.)
Add salt to taste.
3. Blend together into a smooth masala (paste) made with the coconut, tamarind and Red chillies.
Add it into the cooked horse gram and bring to a rolling boil. Adjust the salt if necessary.
4. Slightly crush the cloves of garlic and fry them in oil till brown and season the koddel. I usually
put in the seasoning and immediately close the lid, so the flavor of the seasoning melds into the
masala well.
5. KuLta koddel is all ready!
Notes:
Koddel can be prepared with different fresh vegetables like Mangalore cucumber, raw banana or with KuLith/ horse gram, Navy or Pinto beans, or even with Black eyed Peas.
Different add -ins for the koddhel, or "bhartik or bharshik" as we say in Konkani. (Thanks to a comment from a friend on my FB post. Thanks Kiran!) Usually these are added when the koddhel is made from lentils/legumes.
- bamboo shoots (keerlu)
- drumsticks (mashinga saang)
- plantain stem (gabbo)
- raw jackfruit (kaDgi)
- taro root (maDDi)
- chinese potato (kooka)
- Elephant yam (soornu)
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