Make Matkichi Usal – spicy, delicious and simple. To me, Usal (Oo-sull, rhymes with ‘dull’) is just so quintessentially Maharashtrian! I don’t know of too many other regional cuisines from India that have such a multitude of dishes made with different kinds of sprouted beans and legumes. The term “Usal” includes pretty much everything made with any type of sprouted beans and legumes.
I loved the way my Mom made Matkichi Usal (Mutt-kee-chee Oo-sull); after I got married and tasted my mother-in-law’s Usal, I loved it too. Their two versions are actually very similar, with some subtle differences. How much fresh coconut to add? Whether to add tamarind or Amsul (Um-sool; Kokum) for tartness? How much Jaggery (Gud – ‘Good, Hindi; Gul – ‘Gool’, Marathi) to add? How spicy to make it, etc.
This post is my way of marking what would have been my mother-in-law’s 97th birthday and reminiscing about all the happy times we spent together. Her birthday was actually last week, but my post wasn’t quite ready then! Gentle, kind, thoughtful and oh, so very witty, she was really quite extraordinary. Dearly loved by everyone within our circle of family and friends, my caring and sweet-natured mother-in-law left her special mark on all who knew her.
Matki – Small brown-skinned beans
Matki (Mutt-kee, Marathi), also called Moth (Moe-tth, Hindi; Mutt-th, Gujarati) is a small brown-skinned bean variety. Similar in shape and size to the well-known green-skinned Mung bean, it is widely popular in Maharashtra. Folks from other states use it too, but perhaps not quite as extensively as Maharashtrians. I believe many Maharashtrians prize Matkichi Usal above all other kinds of Usal. These tiny beans are also a nutrient powerhouse, very rich in protein and a host of vital micro-nutrients.
I must confess, I was not especially fond of this particular Usal as a child – I thought it had a rather funky smell! Funny how our tastes change as we get older – I am now a happy member of the Matkichi Usal Fan Club.
Usal: Sprouted beans/legumes cooked with sweet and spicy seasonings
What exactly is Usal? While growing up, if I told my non-Maharashtrian friends about having Usal, they gave me blank looks. ‘What is that?’, they would ask. When I explained that it was a delicious sweet-tart-spicy dish made with sprouted whole beans, most of them still had no clue! A few of them said it made them think of ‘Usli’. That sort of made sense, since the words are a bit similar-sounding. Then I learned that Usli is often made with un-sprouted beans.
Well, I guess I realized pretty early on that Usal, Maharashtrian style, is, indeed, rather unique!
Matkichi Usal: So many tasty variations
Of course, everyone has their favorite way, or should I say, ways, of making Usal. How come? Well, there are so many variables to play with! Change up the seasonings, even just a little, and the Usal takes on a whole other flavor, aroma and appearance. It is so much fun to play with all the different versions.
When making Matkichi Usal, sometimes I add onions and/or garlic, sometimes I don’t – the recipe I have posted here is without onion or garlic. Sometimes I keep the Usal sort of dry, with just a little bit of gravy. Other times, I have the sprouted beans swimming in a deliciously spicy “Rassa” (Russ-saa: broth).
However, the one ingredient that gives this Matkichi Usal its signature flavor is the Maharashtrian Goda Masala (Goad-aa Muh-saa-laa, a specialty spice mixture). You could certainly use store-bought Goda Masala, but I’m partial to home-made Masala. I recently posted my Mom’s recipe for making Goda Masala at home. Perhaps you would like to make it too – I am sure you will love the aroma and flavor of freshly made Masala. I do recommend that you store the Masala in the freezer if you don’t use it frequently: this will preserve its freshness longer.
What else you can make with Goda Masala? Do check out my Kobee Bhaath recipe, the special occasion rice dish from Maharashtra.
How to serve Matkichi Usal?
I usually serve the ‘dry’ Usal at lunch/dinner, along with whole wheat flat-breads like Chapatis (Cha-Paa-tees) or Parathas (Puh-raa-thaas), as part of a Maharashtrian-themed meal. The bean-wheat combination creates a complete protein, providing us with all the amino acids we need. I also use it to make the delightful snack we call Dahi Misal (Duh-hee, with a soft ‘D’ sound, as in ‘the’ – yogurt; Mis-sull – rhymes with dull). The Usal, garnished with chopped onions, tomatoes, etc., is topped with whipped yogurt and crunchy Sev. Yum! One of my favorite snacks, it is hearty enough to be a complete meal in itself!
What about the version with the spicy Rassa? I typically serve it as the wildly popular Misal Pav (Mis-sull – rhymes with dull; Paav – small, tangy bread rolls). In my opinion, the pillow-soft fresh Pav is, quite simply, the perfect “tool” for mopping up the utterly delicious Rassa.
Sprouted Beans – A Super Food
Matkichi Usal, like other types of Usal made with sprouted beans, is really a superfood, as nutritious as it is delicious. What makes Sprouted beans a superfood? Complex processes that occur during germination and sprouting of beans actually increase their protein and vitamin content, and also make the beans easier to digest. In addition, substances such as phytic acid get broken down too, which improve the bio-availability of various minerals found in the beans. As a result, sprouted beans typically boast a significantly better nutritional profile than the un-sprouted beans.
Special Diets
This Matkichi Usal recipe is vegan, gluten-free and soy-free. It has peanuts and coconut, so it is not nut-free. However, if you cannot have nuts, you could certainly omit both of these ingredients and still make a delectable Usal.
So, if you’ve been thinking about making Usal, go ahead and make this super-easy Matkichi Usal. If you have never sprouted beans/legumes before, no worries – I have included simple directions for sprouting dry Matki beans in Recipe Notes. Of course, it does take a bit of advance planning, since it will take about 2 days for the sprouts to be ready for cooking. Of course, if you happen to live in Maharashtra (India), you might even be able to purchase ready-to-cook sprouted Matki at your grocer or vegetable vendor. Pretty nice if you get a sudden craving for Matkichi Usal!
Do leave a review and a rating- your feedback is much appreciated.
Enjoy!
Matkichi Usal – Spicy, Delicious and Simple
Equipment
- Pressure cooker preferred; if not available, cooking time will be longer. See Recipe Notes for details.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dry Matki beans – when sprouted, gives about 2 1/2 cups
- 1/4 cup Raw peanuts (optional) if not available, use pre-roasted peanuts; omit if you want to make nut-free Usal
- 1/2 cup Water when cooked in the insert container of the pressure cooker; Note: need 2 cups water if cooking directly in the pressure cooker
- 2 tsp Oil I prefer peanut oil, but any mild-flavored edible oil OK. Note: I do NOT recommend using extra-virgin oilive oil for making Tadka
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2-3 whole Cloves (optional)
- 1/4 tsp Asoefetida (Hing) omit if not available
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Cayenne) adjust as per spiciness preference; add more if not using fresh green chilli pepper; add a bit more if using Kashmiri or Byadgi chilli powder (it is milder)
- 1/2 whole Fresh Green chilli pepper (Serrano): optional sliced into 4 pieces lengthwise (or sliced into 5-6 rounds); adjust as per spiciness preferred
- 10-12 leaves Curry leaves – optional fresh preferred; if not available, dried leaves OK
- 1 tbsp Brown sesame seeds – optional if brown sesame seeds are not available, white sesame seeds are OK; do NOT use black sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp Dried coconut powder – optional if not available, finely shredded coconut OK; omit if making nut-free Usal
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tbsp Jaggery powder (or sugar): also called Gud / Gul adjust as per taste preference; can use up to 2 tbsp if you like it a bit sweeter
- 1 1/2 – 2 tsp Tamarind – thick pulp adjust to taste; store-bought tamarind pulp OK; to make tamarind pulp from dried tamarind, see Recipe Notes; Or use Amsool – see Recipe Notes for details
- 1 tbsp Goda Masala see Recipe Notes for how to make Goda Masala
Garnish
- 1/2 cup Fresh Coriander leaves (Cilantro): chopped, divided into 2 equal portions
- 1/4 cup Grated fresh coconut frozen, (thawed) OK; omit if making nut-free Usal
- 1 whole lime/lemon wedges
- 1/2 cup Onions: finely diced – optional
- 1/2 cup Tomatoes: finely diced – optional
Instructions
- Transfer the sprouted beans to large bowl and add about 2-3 cups of water. Stir gently with fingers, to rub off the slightly sticky/slimy feel on the surface of the sprouted beans.
- Strain in a colander and rinse with cool water to remove any residual sliminess/stickiness.
- Place the rack inside the pressure cooker and add about 2 cups of water. Transfer the beans to a pressure cooker insert container; add peanuts and 1/2 cup water. Place the container with the beans ion the rack. Cook the beans for 3-4 min at full pressure (Instant Pot – set for 4-5 min). Allow pressure to release normally.Note: do NOT overcook! However, if you do accidentally cook the beans for longer- check Recipe Notes for "Damage Control"! You could also cook the sprouted beans directly in the pressure cooker (Instant Pot: use the stainless steel pot), without using an insert container for pot-in-a-pot cooking. When doing it this way, I sometimes add the simple Tadka to the beans and peanuts before starting the pressure cooker. For direct cooking, I recommend adding more water (1 1/2 cups) to the beans while pressure-cooking. Note: Do NOT add salt while cooking the beans!(Note: Check directions below for making the tadka)
- Make Tadka: Heat oil in a large saucepan/wok. Keep a lid handy to catch splatter from Taka. Add a couple of mustard seeds to check if oil is hot enough. The mustard seeds should sizzle and pop immediately. If not, heat a little longer, then add the mustard seeds, cover immediately and turn the heat off. After the popping stops, turn the heat back on, remove cover and add cumin seeds and Asoefetida. Fry for 30 seconds on low heat.
- Add curry leaves ( cover to catch splatter if using fresh curry leaves), turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add dried coconut and sesame seeds.
- Fry for 1-2 min ( low heat) till sesame seeds brown/pop and the coconut begins to brown a little.
- Add 1/2 cup water, stir and bring to a boil.
- Add cooked beans and peanuts, along with the cooking liquid. Use 2-3 tbsp water to rinse and collect the residual contnts of the container in which you cooked the beans. Add this liquid to the beans.
- Add salt, tamarind and jaggery. Stir and simmer 4-5 min. (Note: Check Recipe Notes if you are using Amsul instead of tamarind.)Then add Goda Masala and simmer 4-5 min. Do not cook for too long after adding Goda Masala, otherwise the flavor will be lost.
- Usal is ready to serve. Mix in half of the fresh coriander leaves (leaves), saving the rest for garnishing on top.
Garnish
- Finely diced onions
- Tomatoes, cilantro, grated fresh coconut, finely diced onion
Serve in different ways
- With Chapatis, Parathas or Pita bread
- With Pav (bread / yeast rolls)
- Enjoy!
Notes
How to sprout Matki from dry beans
To make Matki sprouts from dry Matki beans, you will need to start about 2 days in advance.
- Place 1 cup of dry Matki beans in a bowl. Add about 2 cups water and scrub with your fingers: the water will become cloudy. Pour off the water. Add fresh water and repeat 2-3 times, until the water looks almost clear. Drain and add about 1 1/2 cups of fresh water.
- Cover and set aside to soak 10-12 hours. The beans will swell and the skin starts to split on many of the beans.
- Drain the beans in a colander and transfer to a large platter (baking tray is OK too!). Go through it and pick out any beans that look hard and un-soaked. These ‘hard’ beans usually don’t cook up soft, and taste “hard as a rock” if you happen to bite into one. (It’s NOT fun!)
- Prepare these soaked beans for sprouting using one of the following methods. Note: The actual sprouting time depends on the ambient room temperature. In warm weather, even 6-8 hours can sometimes be sufficient. In cooler weather, it may take much longer.
- Use a sprout maker.
- Place the beans in the sprouting container, cover and set aside for about 10-12 hours on the countertop.
- Check to see how long the sprouts are and decide if they are ready to cook, or if you want them to grow a little longer.
- If you want to go ahead with making the Usal, transfer the sprouted beans to a large bowl, and proceed to the first step of the Recipe directions.
- If you want the sprouts to grow longer, transfer back to a colander, rinse under cold water, scrubbing gently to remove any sticky film. Put it back in the sprout maker and let the sprouts grow longer – about 6-10 hours longer, before you proceed with the directions for making Usal.
- Sprout them the traditional, old-fashioned way, using a clean kitchen towel.
- Place the beans on a large, clean kitchen towel. I like to use a darker colored towel, because the beans can leave hard-to-remove, yellow-brown stains on light-colored towels
- Fold the corners of the towel over the beans to make a tightly packed envelope-like bundle.
- Turn it upside down (folded towel corners underneath) into a colander and set it aside on the countertop for 10-12 hours.
- Use a sprout maker.
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- Regardless of which method you choose, check to see how long the sprouts are. Decide if they are long enough (and ready to cook), or if you want them to grow a little longer. I personally like the sprout ‘tails’ to be about 1/4 inch long.
- If you want to go ahead with making the Usal, transfer the sprouted beans to a large bowl, and proceed to the first step of the Recipe directions.
- If you want the sprouts to grow longer, transfer back to a colander, rinse under cold water, scrubbing gently to remove any sticky film. Put it back in the sprout maker and let the sprouts grow longer – about 6-10 hours longer, before you proceed with the directions for making Usal.
- Regardless of which method you choose, check to see how long the sprouts are. Decide if they are long enough (and ready to cook), or if you want them to grow a little longer. I personally like the sprout ‘tails’ to be about 1/4 inch long.
If you accidentally pressure-cook the beans for too long
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Release pressure quickly, to prevent further cooking
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With Instant Pot or other similar electric pressure cookers:
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Follow appliance directions to carefully “Vent” to release pressure quickly
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be sure to keep your hands/fingers out of the steam-path, or you might get nasty steam burns
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With older/traditional stove-top pressure cookers:
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Place the pressure cooker in the sink
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cool it down quickly with cold running water from the tap/faucet, until the pressure is released – takes about 30 seconds.
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open the lid immediately – be careful – keep your hands/fingers out of the steam-path, or you might get nasty steam burns
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allow steam to escape.
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- After cooling for a few min, add a few ice cubes – to cool it down rapidly and halt the cooking process: do NOT stir
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the ice will also firm up the beans a little
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wait till it cools down completely before stirring – or the beans will become really mushy and taste and look awful!
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Cooking Usal without Pressure Cooker
- Heat oil in a large saucepan/wok.
- Add dry peanuts and fry on medium heat for 2-3 min until peanuts start turning a little brown, keeping Tadka ingredients ready.
- Follow Recipe directions: make Tadka, fry coconut and sesame seeds, add 1 cup water and bring to a boil.
- Do NOT add salt, sugar, tamarind while cooking beans – it may harden the beans and take much longer to cook.
- Add the sprouted beans, stir, cover and cook on hi for 5-6 min. Stir again, turn heat down, and simmer 10-12 min. Remove cover and check to see if beans are cooked.
- To check for done-ness, remove a few beans to a plate After cooling the beans for 30 seconds, press the beans between thumb and index finger.
- If the beans get mashed easily, they are cooked and ready to be seasoned further.
- If they feel firm and don’t mash easily, replace the cover and continue to simmer for another 8-10 min and check again.
- Once beans are cooked, proceed further with the Recipe directions (starting from the step where you add salt, jaggery, tamarind and Goda Masala).
How to make Goda Masala
Make your own Goda Masala at home by following the recipe I posted recently.- If you don’t use it frequently, store it in the freezer to preserve fresh flavor.
Using Amsul instead of Tamarind for tartness
Using dried Amsul:- Rinse and place 5-7 pieces of Amsul in a bowl. Add 2-3 tbsp hot water (or add cold water and microwave for 1 minute on hi), cover and set aside for 8-10 min to soak.
- Lightly squeeze the Amsul with your fingers to extract the tart flavors into the soaking water. If the Amsul is fresh, the water turns pink; if it is older, it will turn brown.
- Use the soaked Amsul pieces along with the soaking water (instead of tamarind) to add tartness to the Usal.
- The Agal is a thin liquid water-based concentrate of Amsul, so it mixes very easily with the Usal. However, its tartness can vary, so you will need to taste-test to add enough Agal to provide the tartness you want.
- Start by adding 1 tbsp Agal (instead of tamarind), taste-test and then add more as needed.
Storing Leftovers
In refrigerator:- Store in a glass/ceramic covered container
- Consume within 2-3 days
- To re-heat:
- microwave till properly heated through (sprinkle 1-2 tbsp water if it looks toodry)
- should be almost boiling hot, otherwise the texture of the beans will not be appealing
- add fresh garnish with coconut and cilantro
- microwave till properly heated through (sprinkle 1-2 tbsp water if it looks toodry)
- Store in a glass/ceramic covered container
- Will last for 4-6 weeks, possibly longer
- To thaw and re-heat:
- remove lid and set out on the counter for 10-15 min to start thawing;
- then microwave, covered, till properly heated through (sprinkle 1-2 tbsp water if it looks dry)
- should be almost boiling hot, otherwise the texture of the beans will not be appealing
- add fresh garnish with coconut and cilantro
Have been waiting for this recipe.
Happy to do it for you, my friend! 🙂
I love this Usal, thanks for posting. Normally I top it with बारिक शेव along with tomato/onion/coriander 😁
Me too! Even when I eat it with Chapati. Sometimes, I don’t even want Chapati- I just top it with onions, tomatoes, Sev and Dahi (Yogurt) and have it by itself. 🙂
all time favorite, there are many sweet memories attached 😍
Many sweet memories indeed!
Love this Usal. I like to eat it topped with बारिक शेव along with tomato/onion etc.
Unbeatable! My favorite way to eat it!
My favorite, want to try it soon !
Love this recipe. Matki is so nutritious and makes for awesome misal base.
My thoughts entirely! I love it.
Brilliant just the right amount of crunch sweetness tartness and flavor!
Thank you, Devyani.
Lentils, chickpeas and black beans shall sprout in the household, beginning today!
I am most curious about their taste!
Yesss! I bet you will enjoy your trials, Marco! The tiny sprouted part will be a bit sweetish, the reset of the beans taste about the same. Indian folks have been doing this for millenia! Personally, I find the sprouted beans and lentils to be easier on the stomach – and lighter to digest. They also usually cook a bit faster.
This one I like a lot
Good! Hope you make it soon, Amod.