North Karnataka style Hesaru Kaalu Palya | Green Gram Curry

Hesaru Kaalu Palya is a simple and delicious sabji or curry that can be served along with rotis or chapatis. This North Karnataka style Hesaru kaalu palya can be kept dry or as a gravy. Mung bean being protein-rich, this hesaru kaalu palya is one of the perfect dishes to add more protein to your vegetarian diets.

North Karnataka food is one of my favourites. I love jolada rotti (jowar roti) with ennegai and this hesaru kaalu palya. With some onions to munch on, it tastes super delicious. Nevertheless, chapatis or phulkas also go great with this. After having searched for a lot of recipes, I finally got the perfect one from a fellow Instagrammer, dharwadgirlcooks, who is from North Karnataka. So, this is an authentic and perfect recipe to make the typical north Karnataka style hesaru kaalu palya. I’m sure you will be equally glad to have found this recipe, that you might want to cook this often.

I think the heart of this recipe is onions. They give such a lovely taste to this curry even though there are not much of spices used in this. So, please do not skip adding onions. Feel free to add more than mentioned, if you like to. Some people also include garlic in the tempering (grated/chopped / paste), but that is optional. You can add if you wish to. Also, the tomatoes are enough to give the required amount of tang. I would suggest you not to add lemon juice, as I think the taste changes quite a bit because of that.

You don’t really need too many spices to prepare this curry. A simple tadka with mustard, cumin, turmeric powder, hing, green chillies and just a little bit of red chilly powder is all the spice or masala for this. So, it is perfect for kids or elders who do not prefer too much masala in their food. This can also be served with plain cooked rice or even curd rice. The quantity mentioned will be good enough for 4 to 5 servings, so I love keeping the leftovers and using it along with curd rice. I find most curries to taste much better the next day!

I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed preparing it and writing it down for you all. I would love to hear your feedback on this. When you try it, kindly post your valuable comments below or share it with me personally on Instagram / Facebook, or post it with due courtesy. You may also pin it on Pinterest. 

Recipes you might want to try:

Badanekayi Shenga Palya

Veg Poha Kofta Curry (Non-Fried)

Let us get started with the recipe, shall we? 

** Standard Measurement: 1 cup= 250mL

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North Karnataka style Hesaru Kaalu Palya | Green Gram Curry

Simple and delicious north karnataka style hesaru kaalu palya or green gram curry recipe, one of the best sources of protein for vegetarians.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Indian, Karnataka

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 4

Author Praneetha A Goutham

Ingredients

• 1 cup green gram / mung bean
• 2 to 3 teaspoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 4 to 5 nos. green chillies - , more or less as per taste
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 3 nos. onions - , finely chopped
• 3 nos. tomatoes - , finely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons red chilly powder - , more or less as per taste
• salt - as per taste
• 3 to 4 sprigs fresh coriander leaves - , finely chopped

Instructions

• Soak green gram in 2 cups hot water for 1 hour. Then, drain away the water and pressure cook with 1.5 cups of fresh water upto 2 to 3 whistles.
• Take a pan or kadai, heat it and add oil. Once oil is heated up, add mustard seeds. Let them splutter. Add cumin seeds and let them turn brown. Next add turmeric powder, asafoetida, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute for a few minutes.
• Next, add the chopped onions and saute until they turn light brown. Now, add chopped tomatoes and saute until they turn soft but not mushy. You can add some salt at this point so as to speeden up the cooking process.
• Once onions and tomatoes are cooked well, add red chilly powder and cooked green gram. Mix everything well. Add more salt if required. Leave it dry or add some water and simmer for about 5 minutes in low-medium heat. If you find it to be thick add some more water and simmer until desired consistency .
• Finally, turn off the heat and add chopped coriander. Serve with chapati or jowar roti.

Notes

1. Hesaru Kaalu Palya can be served dry or as a curry. It is your choice. We prefer it as a curry and hence I have added water to get the desired consistency.
2. As it cools, the consistency of the curry gets thicker. So, if you are serving after some time, you might want to add more water and re-heat or make it slightly watery initially.
3. The quantity of green chillies and red chilly powder can be altered as per taste.
4. You can also add fresh grated garlic or garlic paste in the tempering.
5. Typically, this is served with jowar roti. You can serve with any flatbread of your choice.
6. I have missed adding curry leaves, if you notice in the video, as I couldn't find them for quite a few weeks here. But do not miss adding them. You can also use dry curry leaves if you don't find fresh ones.