Make delicious, authentic Indian Matki Ussal easily at home right in your Instant Pot! It's healthy, easy to cook vegan dish and only takes 4 minutes to cook. This recipe can be used to make any kind of sprouts that you want.
Matki Ussal | Indian Sprouted Beans
Although it's impossible to believe this now, I was a very fussy eater as a child. I'd eat all the Indian junk food you could lay my hands on--anything spicy and savory, and I was right there.
But vegetables were a whole different ball of wax. This vegan Matki Ussal however, was a different matter all together. The way it works is that you get a specific time of bean called Moth beans, and then you soak and sprout them, much as you'd do for this Ussal.
Cooking it after that was just a matter of a few minutes in the pressure cooker. This is a very traditional Maharashtrian dish, which means it typically involves coconut and cilantro, and a tad bit of sugar.
Since fresh coconut is hard to come by here, I've used dried, unsweetened coconut flakes in this recipe. They reconstitute rather well under pressure, reducing a step.
If you can find moth beans use those, but if not, substitute any bean you want and just adjust cook times.
If you want to sprout your own beans, here’s what you do:
- Soak beans overnight.
- In the morning, drain and set into a jar, bowl, or whatever you have lying around. You really don’t need a fancy jar/kit to do this. I sprouted mine in a disposable plastic container.
- Let them sit near a kitchen window with some natural light.
- Wash and drain twice a day if you can, so they stay moist.
- That’s it. You know they’re done when they have tails sprouting, and when you’re hungry. See my picture to get a feel for it.
And that's it. Sprouting the beans is pretty easy and cooking them is even easier. This is an absolutely delicious Indian recipe that is painless to make and delightful to eat. Now go try it for yourself!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (172 g) sprouted beans, (about 1/2 cup dry beans sprouted as explained above)
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Oil
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup (80 g) Onion, , chopped
- 1/2 cup (74.5 g) Tomatoes, , chopped
- 3 cloves (3 cloves) Garlic
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Minced Ginger
- 1/4 cup (20 g) Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Turmeric
- ¼ -½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Ground Coriander
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Ground Cumin
- 1/2 cup (125 g) Water
For Finishing
- 1/4 cup (4 g) Cilantro, , chopped
- 1/4 cup (20 g) fresh grated coconut, (optional)
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté (high) and heat the oil. When it's hot, add the cumin or mustard seeds and let them sputter like popcorn.
- Add in onions, ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add all the other ingredients (except cilantro and coconut) and cook under High Pressure for 4 minutes, and quickly release remaining pressure.
- Garnish with cilantro and fresh coconut if you are using.
Stovetop
- In a saucepan on the stovetop, add and heat the oil. When it's hot, add the cumin or mustard seeds and let them sputter like popcorn.
- Add in onions, ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add all the other ingredients (except cilantro and coconut), add 1/2 cup of water and turn down the heat to medium. Cook 10-15 minutes until the beans are cooked through.
- Garnish with cilantro and fresh coconut if you are using.
Maia F Bromberg
I have two children (8 and 5), we tried this recipe the other night and it was AMAZING! I have had several days of left overs for lunch and it just gets better and better. What a super yummy dinner! My picky eater said it was one of the best dinners ever! I first found this recipe in Urvashi's cookbook "Indian Instant Pot Cookbook"-- if you don't already have it, I really recommend getting it. 🙂
Protima
Any chance you have a misal recipe using the same sprouts? Thanks
URVASHI PITRE
I don’t. It’s the spice mix that I need to get right still.
Bridget
Just made this and it’s delicious! However 1/2 cup beans made 2 cups when sprouted so I doubled recipe (which called for 1c sprouted). Next time I might 1.5 all other ingredients as it’s pretty heavily seasoned.
Ginny Bates
Will leftovers freeze well? I sprouted more beans and ended up with four times the recipe. It's delicious but I'm not sure the two of us can eat it all before it goes bad.
URVASHI PITRE
Maybe I'll come over and eat some! 😀 Yes it will freeze but you may have to add a little water in it so they don't freezer burn.
Ginny Bates
Thank you! Am thinking it might make a very good and filling main dish salad if I added chopped cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, celery, etc., plus a little oil and fresh lemon juice. I'd be happy to see more Indian recipes using sprouted beans, especially as hot weather approaches. Great sub for meat and little cooking involved. Oh, must tell you that my husband frequently requests your Spiced Ground Beef. He bought me your book for Christmas, so I must oblige!
URVASHI PITRE
He knew what was he doing, buying you that book! ???? check out the Chana Salad recipe in the book for ideas as well.