"Moong-Garduddhe Saar Upkari (Whole Green Gram~ Bottle Gourd Curry)" ... simple saar- upkari are traditional dishes from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine that is a heavenly treat to be relished steaming hot with rice when you want to keep meals simple yet nutritious ... a little bit of nonche (pickle) and roasted papad served along makes it that much more a soul satisfying meal ... Yummilicious ...
** Green Gram / Whole green moong are high in protein and are considered to be very good for health. They are famous all round the world and almost every Indian cooks it in her home. There are many items that can be prepared with this bean / pulse and they can be sprouted too. Sprouting them increases the protein content and they are considered to be that much healthier. They can be added on to salad etc. and the options or preparation methods and dishes and numerous. I have included the link of the article of sprouting method at the bottom of this recipe, for those who are not aware of the same. However, this particular curry can be prepared both with sprouts or without sprouting them. There is no difference in the taste of the curry and I have used both methods as and how it was suitable to me. Most of the time it is used without sprouting the grams and just soaking them overnight or for 10-12 hours.
** I will not run into more details about the moong or its health benefits as everyone knows about them. The saarupkari maybe bland for some as there is not added in extra masala etc. but trust me its a healthier option and you can serve this like saar with rice, while you can added on some spicier side dishes to make the whole meal that much appealing. Again addition of garduddhe / bottle gourd is optional. You can add in any soft vegetable for saarupkari or you can cook them as it is too without the addition of any veggies, but bottle gourd goes in great with this saarupkari adding on more bulk and appeal to the curry. Also it is considered to be a coolant to the stomach. Coming to tempering, you can temper it with mustard-hing-curry leaves or crushed garlic too. Both methods are used and here today I have tempered with mustard-hing-curry leaves.
** Here is the simple method of preparation of "Moong- Garduddhe Saar Upkari (Whole Green Gram~ Bottle Gourd Curry)" ... My Style .....
** You will need about 4-5 cups of sprouted green gram/ moong. For sprouting method, please check on the link given at the bottom of this recipe.
OR
** You can also soak 2 cups of green gram/ moong in plenty of water overnight or for 10-12 hours. Drain the water, wash and use it for the recipe too.
** Note : You can prepare this saar upkari with either just soaked green gram (moong) of sprouted green gram (kirlaile moong), they both taste great and I have shared pictures to both too. The method remains the same.
** You will need about 250 to 300 gms of Bottle Gourd / Garduddhe / Lauki. Peel of the outer skin with a potato peeler and cut the inner flesh portion into medium sized cubes/ pieces. Rinse under water and keep them ready for cooking.
** Now for preparing of the saarupkari you can follow any of the method given below as suitable to you ... just see to it that you do not overcook the veggies ...
** Method No. 1 : Wash the green gram sprout or the soaked green gram and put it in a pressure cooker. Add in water to a level of say about 1.5 inches above the grams. Fasten the lid with weight and cook on medium flame to 2 whistles. Allow the pressure of the cooker to fall on its own. Once you are able to do so remove and put the cooked green grams into a thick bottomed stainless steel vessel.
** Add 3 cups of water, cut bottle gourd pieces and mix well. Cook on medium heat till almost done. Add in 5-6 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi) cut lengthwise and salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and simmer for another 5-8 minutes. Remove the curry and keep it aside. You can slightly mash the cooked grams with the back of a spatula to get a thicker consistency curry. Also check and add in water if you find it necessary. The curry should be of the patla/ thin baji consistency.
** For Tempering : Heat 1 tsp of coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela) in a small pan, add in 1 tsp of mustard/ rai/ sasam into it, when it begins to splutter, add in 1/2 to 1 tsp of hing (asafoetida) powder, 1-2 dry red chillies (sukki mirsanga/ sukki mirchi) cut to pieces and 8-10 curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu). Fry for a few seconds and pour it over the curry. Cover and keep it aside.
** Note : You can prepared and kept hinga uddaka (gum asafoetida water) in place of hing powder too, which is what I do as I always have it ready at home. For method of preparing the same check at the bottom of this recipe. Also do add coconut oil, the aroma of the curry turns scrumptious with it. Again, addition of red chillies while tempering is optional and you can skip it if not desired. I add at times.
** Method No. 2 : Wash the green gram sprout or the soaked green gram and put it in a pressure cooker. Add in the bottle gourd pieces and water. The level of the water should be about 1.5 inches above the grams-veggie. Fasten the lid with weight and cook on medium flame to 1 whistle only. Allow the pressure of the cooker to fall on its own. Once you are able to do so remove and put the cooked green grams into a thick bottomed stainless steel vessel. Rest of the method is same as Method No.1.
** Note : Both the above methods can be followed, though personally I prefer Method No.1 as the chances of overcooking the veggies is not there in that method while in the second one, the chances remain high. Otherwise both are fine and I have used both methods equally well over a period of 3 decades.
** "Moong- Garduddhe Saar Upkari (Whole Green Gram~ Bottle Gourd Curry)" is done and ready to be served. It tastes best steaming hot with rice along with some side dishes like bajia / papad and some pickle, specially during monsoon. Try this delicious healthy dish and enjoy with your family and friends.
** For the Method of sprouting, please go through the link given below, I have explained the procedure and added in picture for proper understanding of the same .....
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