Hello....
Protein rich food are the most sought-after menu for our daily diet these days... With information widely available all over social media with reference to health & its diet... However, Bharat has forever been feeding themselves from generations to generations with such healthy cooked food with its vast spread diversities across the nation, without the mention of words like "health or diet" ever....
North India has its own set of food that is considered healthy & so does South India... But when you observe & analyze the food Southern Part of India caters to, is comparatively much much healthier than the North... North has more usage of oil & spices in their food which is usually tagged as RICH FOOD 😎 (reminds me of my mother-in-law who called it so) …
Where as the South has very limited usage of the same... Most of the South Indian Food are steam cooked with less to absolutely no oil & so goes with the spices.... Which means more usage of water than oil...
And with all the surveys & experiments, when it comes to oil for daily usage COCONUT OIL which is used regularly down south, is considered to be the safest & the best... People now understand these vital information as far as their health is considered & opt for the same too replacing with the harmful refined oils.... It must be completely banned from our nation.... Hmmmm........ Some day hopefully.... Else there are of course our naturally brewed ghee & mustard oil is still a better option compared to the rest....
Well this post is not about my views on oil; yet just learnt a few things that was shared on social media & hence thought would make a note of it too for someone who may need to read/hear it....
So this post is about one such protein rich food from the coastal line of the Southern part of India... Mangalore Cuisine.... Bili Kadle Upkari/Usli/Sundal.... it is a menu for breakfast & many times also used as Prasad/Prasadam tasting divinely when served at temples after pooja....
There are slight variations as per choice or mood which I would mention as we go....
BILI KADLE USLI/SUNDAL
Ingredients :
White Chickpeas - 2 cups (serves 3)
Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafetida (Hing) - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 2-3 Broken
Urad Dal - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig full
Garlic Cloves - 4-5 Crushed
Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
Onion (medium) - 1 fine chopped
Green Chilli - 3 cut into 1cm rounds
Lemon - 1/2 (optional)
Coriander Leaves - 2 tsp fine chopped
Salt to Taste
Water to boil
Instructions :
1) Soak the chickpeas overnight
2) Morning wash it well & clear the content into a pressure cooker with fresh hot water enough to immerse, along with a tsp of salt... Cook over 6 whistles & Keep aside
3) Now heat coconut oil in a wok & add in mustard seeds... Allow it to splutter well... Once done add heeng + broken red chilli + urad dal... Saute & then add crushed garlic cloves + curry leaves... Saute for a minute or two & then add in green chilli + onions... Fry till translucent
4) Now add the cooked chickpeas along with the water & mix well...
5) Check for salt & add in sugar & mix well...
6) VARIATION - For normal breakfast you can add a lil turmeric powder & retain a lil more water for it would taste juicy being flavorful.... ELSE for prasad do not add in turmeric powder & allow the water to evaporate with lil moisture ONLY
7) Add grated coconut & squeeze the lemon juice & give it a good mix....
8) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves & savor when hot....
This flavorful & rich in protein food fills your tummy & holds your energy until noon to be followed by another healthy lunch.... 😋
For those who just want the recipe in a gist....
Do give it a try & relish until the last bite.... :)
UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!
