Ulavacharu
- 72 min
- medium
- Serves 4
Ulavacharu, an Andhra horse gram rasam of horse gram stock, tamarind, tomato, garlic and pepper. Medium-spicy, serves 4, about 70 minutes plus soaking.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Horsegram Lentil, For Soaking150 grams
Water, For Soaking600 ml
Tamarind, For Soaking25 grams
Garlic, Peeled18 grams
Cumin, Crushed1 tsp
Black Peppercorns, Crushed3 grams
Dry Red Chilli, De-stemmed3 grams
Water, For Cooking700 ml
Oil1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds1 tsp
Cumin1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli2 grams
Curry leaves4 grams
Asafoetida0.5 grams
Tomato, Finely Chopped2
Turmeric Powder1 grams
Salt1½ tsp
Water, For Adjusting Consistency500 ml
Coriander Leaves, Chopped6 grams
Contains: wheat.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 209kcal | 836kcal |
| Protein | 9.9g | 40g |
| Carbohydrate | 34g | 137g |
| Fat | 5.2g | 21g |
| Fibre | 5g | 20g |
| Sugar | 5.5g | 22g |
Method
Rinse the horse gram well and soak it in 450 ml water for 8 hours. Drain the soaking water when the gram has swollen.
Soak the tamarind in 150 ml warm water for 20 minutes, then squeeze and strain it. Peel the garlic and crush it with 1 teaspoon cumin, black peppercorns and 3 dry red chillies. Break the remaining chillies, wash the curry leaves, and chop the tomatoes and coriander leaves.
Add the soaked horse gram and 700 ml water to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 6 whistles, about 20 minutes, until the gram crushes easily. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 to 15 minutes before opening the cooker.
Strain the cooked horse gram and keep all the dark cooking stock. Mash 1/4 cup of the cooked gram and mix it into the stock. Simmer on low flame for 2 minutes until lightly thickened, then reserve the remaining cooked gram for another dish.
Heat the oil in a kadai on medium flame. Add the mustard seeds and cook for 30 seconds until they splutter. Add the cumin, broken dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida, then fry for 1 minute until the curry leaves are crisp.
Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Cook on medium flame for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and their raw smell is gone.
Add the crushed spice mixture, tamarind water, horse gram stock and 500 ml water. Simmer on low flame for 10 minutes until the raw tamarind smell is gone and the rasam is lightly thickened.
Add the coriander leaves and simmer on low flame for 1 minute. Switch off when the leaves soften and the ulavacharu is hot, then serve with rice.
Before you start
- How long does Ulavacharu take?
- 1 hour 12 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 57 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Ulavacharu serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Ulavacharu vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Ulavacharu spicy?
- It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Ulavacharu?
- 150 grams Horsegram Lentil, 25 grams Tamarind, 18 grams Garlic, 3 grams Black Peppercorns, 3 grams Dry Red Chilli, 4 grams Curry leaves, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Ulavacharu?
- Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
- How many calories are in Ulavacharu?
- About 209 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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