Mugachi Usal ~ Maharashtrian Sprouted Green Gram/ Moong Beans Curry

Usal is a traditional Maharashtrian dry curry recipe using sprouted pulses. Sprouting increases the protein content and makes the pulses easier to digest.
We usually make this 'mugachi usal' on Monday in Shravan. So I do not use onion-garlic in this usal, but you can use.

Ingredients:

• Moong- 1 cup
• Tomato, chopped- 1 cup or 1 large sized 
• Curry leaves- 1 string
• Green chilli, finely chopped or coarsely crushed- 2
• Ginger, grated or coarsely crushed- 2 tbsp 
• Oil- 3 to 4 tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 2 tsp
• Cumin powder- 2 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing)-  ¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Red chili powder- 2 tsp
• Goda masala- 2 tsp
• Fresh coconut, scrapped- 2 tbsp
• Coriander, finely chopped- a handful
• Water- approx ¼ cup
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and soak moong for 6 to 8 hours or over night in water. Next morning drain all the water. Remove any hard bean or small stone. 
• Wash these moong again and drain all the water.
• Place the moong on clean cotton cloth. Gather all the edges and tie them. 
• Put this bundle in the vessel and cover with lid. Keep this vessel in warm place atleast 8 to 10 hours to sprout. (In winter this time period may increased.) You will get sprouted moong.
• Heat oil in the pressure pan or kadhai. Add mustard seeds, let them crackle.
• Add curry leaves, cumin seeds, crushed ginger and chilli. (You may add at this stage 4-5 cloves of crushed garlic and ½ cup of chopped onion. Saute till onion becomes translucent.) Saute for few seconds.
• Add hing, turmeric powder, red chili powder, chopped tomato. 
• Add salt and cook until tomato becomes soft.
• Add chopped coriander and scrapped coconut. Mix well and saute this masala mixture for a minute.
• Add sprouted moong, goda masala and water. Mix well. Close the lid of pressure pan and cook until 2 whistles come out. (or cover and cook over medium-low heat. Cover kadhai with s.s. plate. Keep some water on this plate. Do not add too much water at once. Stir occasionally, sprinkle little water if needed. It will take around 15 to 20 minutes to cook the moong. 
• Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapati.
• You can eat this usal as snack. Add chopped onion, tomato, sev and enjoy. 

Tips:

• Do not make gravy in usal when you are making without  onion-garlic.
• You can use 2 kokum for this usal with tomato or instead of tomato.
• You can use malawani masala instead of chili powder. 
• You can make Matki/Moth beans or Red lentil/Masoor usal this way.