Konkani Style Green Gram Saaru (Varn Recipe)
Call this muga thoy, muga saaru or varn. Essentially it is a flavourfullllll spicy green gram saaru of sorts. 🤤🤤
I first had to make varn when my mil passed away over a year ago. I've always loved varn but it was made only for death rituals, death anniversaries & wasn't usually made on normal days. Then one day my Bil says you can make dishes made for death rituals with an extra ingredient or one less ingredient so it isn't the same dish any more. So I started making varn/muga thoy once in a while for lunch with one less ingredient. And we all love it ciuz it's so so so sooo delicioussssss. Not many cooks randpo maams get this simple recipe right. When it's made right it's soooooo soooooo deliciousss. I bet you'll want to drink it in the end. It's so damn yum. Here's my mom's no-fail recipe to make a splendidly delish saaru/varn.
Best part is enjoying it as a soup. Nope, I'm not crazy, there are equally crazy people that make up my big fat family.
And I had made carrot kusumbri with some sprouted green gram too for lunch that afternoon. I love carrot salad the good old way.
Important: So if you are making it for death rituals/anniversary follow the recipe below. If you're making it on normal days for everyday lunch, dinner make it minus turmeric powder. Upto your beliefs. But that's the tradition. So the green colour in contrast to the usual yellow coloured varn.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sprouted green gram
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- 3-4 green chillies
- Half a chana sized tamarind
- A pinch of turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
Tempering:
- 1 tablespoon of ghee
- 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 leaflet of curry leaves
Serves: 2-4
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Preparation method:
1. Soak green gram for 7-8 hours. Drain all the water & bundle it tightly in a damp cloth. Leave the parcel aside in a vessel for a day/overnight. They'll germinate nicely.
If you don't parcel them tightly they'll take longer to germinte. It's ok if they have germinated a little or a lot. They should germinate being the key. You can use just soaked green gram to make the saaru but the taste varies.
2. When you want to make varn add sprouted green grams into a vessel & give them a good wash.
3. Pressure cook them for 1/2/3 whistles using as much water as needed. Do not add salt, they may not cook well.
3. Grind together grated coconut + green chillies + cumin seeds + turmeric.
You can choose to use tamarind or not. Tastes great either ways.
4. Add in cooked sprouted green gram & grind them into a smooth paste using as much water as needed.
5. Add it into a cooking vessel, add water to make it watery in consistency.
6. Check and adjust salt.
7. Bring it to a boil & simmer until rawness of the masala goes off.
8. Remove it off flame & finish it off with a lavish tempering. It'll taste heavenly on tempering. Might not taste very great until it's tempered.
9. For the tempering add ghee into a tempering pan, add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When they start popping add in pieces of dried red chillies & curry leaves. Let them sizzle for few seconds.
10. Add this tempering to varn, mix well & serve hot with steaming hot rice.
11. I bet you'll want to drink it too in the end as a soup. It's so damn yum.
Side note:
Some make it with split moong dal/ muga dali. Cooks (randpo maam)/home cooks when they need to make this instantly or have no time to germinate green gram. But the taste differs definitely.
Watch it's making here.
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