How to sprout Matki from dry beans

• 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.

• • 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.

If you accidentally pressure-cook the beans for too long

• Release pressure quickly, to prevent further cooking
  • With Instant Pot or other similar electric pressure cookers:
    • Follow appliance directions to carefully "Vent" to release pressure quickly
      • be sure to keep your hands/fingers out of the steam-path, or you might get nasty steam burns
  • With older/traditional stove-top pressure cookers:
    • Place the pressure cooker in the sink
      • cool it down quickly with cold running water from the tap/faucet, until the pressure is released - takes about 30 seconds.
      • open the lid immediately - be careful - keep your hands/fingers out of the steam-path, or you might get nasty steam burns
      • allow steam to escape.
  •  After cooling for a few min, add a few ice cubes - to cool it down rapidly and halt the cooking process: do NOT stir
    • the ice will also firm up the beans a little
    • wait till it cools down completely before stirring - or the beans will become really mushy and taste and look awful!

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

• If you don't use it frequently, store it in the freezer to preserve fresh flavor.

Using Amsul instead of Tamarind for tartness

• 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

• 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

• 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