Mooga Gashi ~ Jeevi Kadgi ani Bimbul Ghalnu / Whole Green Gram Curry With Breadfruit And Bimbul …. A traditional non spicy Konkani Saraswat Curry prepared during functions …. For a change I added Jeevi Kadgi ….. Tastes yum ……
Mooga Gashi / Moong Gashi / Whole Green Gram Curry is a medium spicy gashi / curry that is very common in konkani Saraswat household. This curry is prepared with sprouted Moong / whole Green Grams and they taste simply awesome. This dish is prepared during both auspicious and for funeral functions too. It is a must during the preparations on the 12th day of a person’s demise. So is it prepared during Ganesh chaturthi and Dwadashi (the day after Ekadashi) festival too. I have absolutely no knowledge as to its preparation during all types of events. But to the best of my knowledge Green Gram is considered to be Shuddha / Auspicious and I guess it is prepared on the events to bring in prosperity into the house.
For preparing this dish however one needs sprouted moong / whole green gram which is skinned, so it’s considered a little bit of tedious work. You have got to soak moong 2 days prior for about 6-8 hours and then drain them and cover and keep aside for a day to sprout. Once sprouted you should again soak them overnight which helps loosen the skin and rise on top. These are then separated and used in the making of the curry. Any vegetables like Suran, Kooka (Chinese Potato), Raw Jackfruit, Jeevi Kadgi (Breadfruit), Bamboo Shoots are added to the curry along with Moong. You can add in Bimbuls, Karmbal (Star Fruit) or hogplum for sourness or just plain tamarind will also do. Without running into much more details let’s move on to the recipe.
You will need about 4-5 cups of sprouted moong of which the skin are removed. For preparation of sprouts I am including a link below. Please check on the same.
Slice off the skin portion of the breadfruit / jeevi kadgi as thinly as possible and discard it. Cut the breadfruit in the center horizontally and then vertically to get four quarters of the breadfruit. Remove the center pith and discard the same. Cut into slices of half inch and then again cut it lengthwise to get traiangular cut pieces. Check the picture added below. Wash in plenty of water. You must have about 4-5 cups of the cut pieces.
Snip off the two side edge of the bimbul (If using bimbul) and cut it horizontally into 3-4 pieces. Keep this ready aside. You may leave out this if not available in your vicinity, in which case add a small marble sized tamarind to the masala while grinding.
For Masala : Grind to a fine paste 2 cups of freshly grated coconut, 5-6 Red chillies, 1 tsp jeera (Optional) to fine paste. Add in a small marble sized tamarind only if not adding in bimbul or any other sour veggie. Keep the prepared masala ready aside. This dish is not spicy so do not add in more chillies. The dish tastes best at medium spice.
In a large stainless steel vessel add in the moong sprouts (skin removed) and enough water to cook it and bring in to boil. Do not add in more water, say just about half an inch above the level of the sprouts. Once they come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for some time till half cooked. Now add in the jeevi kadgi / breadfruit pieces and mix well.
Continue cooking till the breadfruit / jeevi kadgi is almost cooked. Sprouts do not get cooked much and are tastier a little bit on crunchier side. So do not pressure cook as they will get mushy / over cooked. Once both sprouts and breadfruit is cooked add in the bimbul and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add in the ground masala and salt to taste. Mix well and add in water if necessary to bring to a thick gravy consistency. At no point add in much of water as the curry is a semi thick consistency dish. Cook on medium flame till it comes to a boil. Remove and keep aside.
Continue cooking till the breadfruit / jeevi kadgi is almost cooked. Sprouts do not get cooked much and are tastier a little bit on crunchier side. So do not pressure cook as they will get mushy / over cooked. Once both sprouts and breadfruit is cooked add in the bimbul and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add in the ground masala and salt to taste. Mix well and add in water if necessary to bring to a thick gravy consistency. At no point add in much of water as the curry is a semi thick consistency dish. Cook on medium flame till it comes to a boil. Remove and keep aside.
For Tempering: Heat 2 tsp of oil in a small pan add 1 tsp of mustard seed, when they begin to crackle / splutter then add in 8-10 curry leaves, fry for a few seconds and pour over curry.
Cover the mooga gashi with a lid and keep it aside for some time for the flavours to blend well with the curry. Mooga Gashi ~ Jeevi Kadgi ani Bimbul Ghalnu / Whole Green Gram Curry With Breadfruit And Bimbul is ready to be served. Goes well with rice, but can be served with roti too. We Konkani Saraswats always serve this as a side dish with Dalitoy – Rice and other dishes. This is relished almost at all types of functions.
The dish is prepared by adding in any vegetable that is available at that particular season. I had Jeevi Kadgi / Breadfruit brought from my native place so I added on the same. But the dish can be prepared adding Raw jackfruit / suran / yam / bamboo shoots (both fresh or brined) / kook (Chinese potato). Also for sourness you can add in hogplums of karmbal instead of bimbul. But these are not easily available in Mumbai, in which case you can use tamarind while grinding the masala.
** For the Method of Sprouting Beans, Please follow the link given below ….
You are right, I was interested in Moonga gashi. Thanks for so quick response. Now I can try. But kirl/bamboo shoots are some what bitter, then don't they need any prior treatment? Moonga gashi is most favorite dish among Konkani Gauda Brahmanas i.e; Gaud Saraswat Brahmans rather than Saraswat Brahmans who usually speak Marathi.
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