Karnataka style bassaru recipe is full of green Amarnath leaves, dill leaves flavored with coconut and it is a rasam made using the drained water of dal and Amarnath leaves, dill leaves, green gram, and mixed with grated coconut.
This bassaru is very dear to all the Kannadigas. It is most often prepared in many south Indian households.
Toor dal and green gram and leaves are cooked together and strained, which is later boiled with freshly roasted ground spices. The separated dal and green gram mix are used to make a stir fry spicy bassaru and palya. A little ghee on ragi mudde or rice is an awesome combination and a healthy meal in itself.
Dill leaves are known as sabsige soppu in Kannada. Dill leaves are very healthy and very aromatic. Dill and Amarnath leaves reduce the longer it is cooked, so to retain its full flavor and aroma, don’t overcook it.
Ingredients
For boiling
- Green gram - 1/2 cup
- Dill leaves - 1/2 bunch
- Amarnath Leaves - 1 bunch
- Toor dal - 1/2 cup
- Water - as needed
- Salt - as per taste
For masala
- Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
- Onion - 1, sliced
- Garlic - 12 pods
- Cumin - 1 tsp
- Peppercorns - 1/2 tsp
- Curry leaves - as needed
- Sambar powder - 2 tbsp
- Tamarind - lemon size
- Coconut - 2 tbsp, grated
- Coriander leaves - few, chopped
For bassaru
- Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
- Curry leaves - few
- Tamarind - lemon-sized
- Water
- Salt - a little
For palya
- Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
- Garlic - 10 crashed
- Curry leaves - few
- Dry red chili - 5, chopped
- Onion - 1, chopped
- Salt - a little
- Coconut - 2 tbsp, grated
Direction / Method
For boiling
- Take a cooker, add 1.5 glasses of water and 1/2 cup of green gram.
- Cook it for a whistle on a medium flame.
- Turn off the flame and keep it aside to cool down completely.
- Open the lid and ensure that the green gram is cooked 90%.
- Keep the cooker aside.
- Take a pot and add 3 glasses of water.
- Add 1/2 cup of washed toor dal and mix it well.
- Close the pot and cook it for about 50%.
- When the toor dal is half cooked, add a bunch of washed, cleaned, and chopped Amarnath leaves and 1/2 bunch of washed, cleaned, and chopped dill leaves.
- Add a glass of water and mix them well.
- Add 1/2 tsp of salt and mix them well.
- Close the pot and cook for 3 minutes on a low flame.
- Give them a mix occasionally & ensure that dal and leaves are cooked well.
- Open the lid & give it a mix.
- Add cooked green grams & mix them well.
- Close the pot and cook for a minute.
- Open the lid and give it a mix.
- Ensure that the dal, green gram, and leaves are cooked well.
- Turn off the flame and keep it aside.
- Strain the cooked leaves, dal, and green gram into a bowl using a strainer.
- Keep them aside and also keep the strained water.
For masala
- Take a pan, add 2 tbsp of cooking oil.
- Allow the cooking oil to heat for some time.
- Add a sliced onion, 12 of garlic pods, 1/2 tsp of peppercorns, a tsp of cumin and few curry leaves.
- Sauté these ingredients well for 2 minutes on medium flame.
- Keep it aside to cool down completely.
- Take a mixing jar, transfer fried ingredients which were kept aside.
- Add 2 tbsp of grated coconut, 2 tbsp of sambar powder, few chopped coriander leaves, some boiled toor dal, green gram, leaves, and little water.
- Grind these ingredients well and make it a smooth fine paste.
- Keep this masala paste aside.
For bassaru
- Take lemon-sized tamarind in a small bowl.
- Add some water to the bowl.
- Wash the tamarind well and discard the water.
- Add some water & soak the tamarind.
- Take a pot, add 2 tbsp of cooking oil and allow oil to heat on a low flame.
- Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
- Add few curry leaves.
- Add the grind masala paste and mix it well.
- Add strained water which was kept aside.
- Add some water into the mixing jar which has some leftover masala paste and mix it well. Add that masala water into the pot. Ensure to get the right consistency for a curry.
- Squeeze the soaked tamarind well & discard the extras.
- Add tamarind water into the pot.
- Add a little salt. Because in the strained water, you will already have some salt.
- Stir it well and half-close the pot.
- Boil it for about 10 minutes on a low flame.
- Stir it well.
- That's it! Bassaru is ready, let's prepare the palya.
For palya
- Take a Kadai, add 2 tbsp of cooking oil, allow the oil to heat for some time.
- Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
- Add 1 chopped onion & sauté them well.
- Add 10 crushed garlic, few curry leaves, and 5 chopped dry red chili.
- Sauté them well.
- Add a little salt. because we already added salt when cooking dal, green gram, and leaves.
- Mix them well.
- Add boiled dal, green gram, and leaves which was kept aside.
- Add 2 tbsp of grated coconut and mix them well.
- That's it! Palya is ready to be served.
That's it! Hesrukalina Bassaru with Palya is ready to be served. Serve with ragi ball or rice as you wish.
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