Whole Green-gram Stew

There are many different recipes for making stew with whole green-gram. This is my own recipe which has a wonderful taste and can be served as main course. The quantities of ingredients mentioned in this recipe will be sufficient to serve six people.

Please go through the step-by-step instructions below

• Take about 250 grams of whole green-gram and soak in water for about 15 minutes
• Heat about 750 ml of water in a pressure cooker and add the soaked green-gram to the cooker
• Once the water starts boiling, cover the cooker with the lid and pressure cook for about 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, remove the cooker from stove and allow the pressure to come down

You can prepare the other ingredients required for the stew while the green-gram is being cooked.

• Take one medium sized onion, remove dry skin and cut into pieces
• Take one inch long piece of ginger, remove skin and cut into pieces
• Shuck a handful of garlic cloves
• Add all these ingredients together in a mixer grinder and make a fine paste
• Transfer this paste in a bowl and keep aside

• Take three medium sized tomatoes and cut into pieces
• Add the cut tomato pieces in a mixer grinder

Add the following ingredients to the cut tomatoes in the mixer grinder

• One teaspoon of red chili powder
• One teaspoon of Cumin seed powder
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder
• Two teaspoons of dry coriander powder
• About 1/4 teaspoon of asafoetida powder

Make a fine paste of all these ingredients along with tomatoes and transfer to a bowl. There is no need to add water.

• Heat two tablespoon of oil in a frying pan
• Cut four or five green chilies in halves and add to the oil in the pan
• Add the onion-ginger-garlic paste to the pan and cook till raw smell disappears

• It is optional - You can add two to three pieces of cloves, a small piece of cinnamon and few pieces of star anise to the onion paste for added aroma.
• Now add the tomato-spice paste to the pan and cook over medium heat for about five minutes

• By this time the pressure in the cooker might have come down. You can add the cooked green-gram to the other ingredients in the pan and add salt to taste.
• Add little amount of water if required
• There is no need to cook further. Once all ingredients are blended together, you can remove the pan from the stove
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

This stew can be served as a main course with rice, bread and all