- Submitted by Raji Ramakrishnan
(Navdanya Sundal, Sundal With 9 Legumes, Sundal With 9 Types Of Dry Beans)
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Today I am going to share a sundal recipe that is made during festivals like navratri, ganesh chaturthi and Varalakshmi puja. It could also be made as a healthy evening snack for school going children. As the name suggests (Nava means 9), it is made using nine different legumes or pulses. The “navadhanyam” or the 9 grains holds a special place in the Hindu rites and rituals. These grains are offered to please and take blessings of the 9 planets (navagrahas) for peace, prosperity and overall happiness and robust health. These rituals are usually performed on house warming ceremonies and milestone birthdays (ie.1st, 60th, 70th and 80th). I personally believe that most of the traditional rituals teach us the way of life. The 9 grains or pulses that were traditionally used are Bengal gram or kadalaparuppu; chickpea or channa; horse gram or kollu; green gram on whole moong; white beans or lobia; black gram or urad dal; black sesame or til seed; rice and wheat. If we closely look and analyze, each of the grain is a power house of rich nutrients. Hence consumption of these nutrients solely or combined keep us healthy and free from all lifestyle related diseases.
In this current age, with many other legumes added in the list like rajma, peas (both green and white variety), peanuts, sweet corn, each of it with its own distinctive taste, flavor and nutrient composition, we can make a best and unique combination of any 9 ingredients to make navadhanyam sundal. You can also use varieties of lentils. These legumes are rich in protein, fiber and many minerals and help in keeping diseases at bay. Soaking and cooking of Chana increase the protein quality, protein digestibility and essential amino acid index. Apart from the nutrition quotient, this South Indian Salad has an excellent visual appeal. With so many colors of the legumes in the palate this sundal is definitely a visual treat, especially for smaller children. This sundal is easy to cook, simple to make and extremely healthy to eat. Go ahead to make this simple yet nutrition rich dish.
Recipe for Navadhanya Sundal
Preparation Time: 6 hours (for soaking)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- Karamani (Red chowli, Thatta Pyir, Cowpeas, Black-eyed peas, Field Peas)
- Chana dal (Bengal Gram)
- Black chana (Black Chickpeas)
- Green chana (Green Chickpeas)
- Matki (Moth Beans)
- Kabuli chana (White Chickpeas)
- Peanut (Groundnut, Nilakadalai)
- Kulith (Horse gram)
- White watana (White Peas) or Hara Watana (Green Peas)
* You may also use any other type of dry beans like soy beans, green gram, lima beans, kidney beans etc.
Method
- Take any nine varieties of dry beans or pulses. About 1 cup of mixed beans is a good quantity for 4 people.
- Wash the beans and soak in sufficient water for 5-6 hours.
- Directly cook the same in a pressure cooker with turmeric powder and salt for 3 whistles.
- After the pressure comes down, drain the excess water. You can reserve this nutritious liquid and add it to dals or use it to knead chapatti dough.
- Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, urid dal, broken red chillies, curry leaves, hing powder (asafoetida).
- Add the cooked lentils and saute for two minutes till it becomes dry. Prasad is ready.
- Finally finish the sundal in one of the following ways.
Option 1
- You can garnish with fresh grated coconut.
Option 2
- Crush fresh coconut, green chilli, a small piece of ginger and little cumin seeds in the mixer and add to this. This gives a different kind of flavour.
Option 3
- You can also add chilli powder along with grated coconut to give a spicy touch.
Serving Navadhanya Sundal
- This is traditionally made during festivals. It is also an excellent after school snack for kids with a cup of tea.
- It can also be served as a sidedish for chapatti or white rice and rasam.
- People who are dieting can have this as a protein packed snack or meal. To make it a complete meal, I like to mix in some raw vegetables like grated carrots, cucumber, onions, raw mango etc. It is quite filling with a cup of lassi or milk.
More Dry Beans Recipes