Mochakottai Sundal | Val Beans Salad | Navratri Vrat Recipes

How your Navratri Celebration is going?  Hope you are having fun, food and laughter.  Thanks to facebook I’m able to see beautiful Golu setup from other bloggers friends it’s a virtual treat indeed, I hope to see some Durga Pandal pictures too.   We don’t make sundal much, not during Navratri too which is very famous in down South (India).  Sundal is spiced up like Channa Chat recipe or famous Channa Jor Garam, there’s also few old hindi songs goes by same name. 

I hardly make sundal, it’s rare then once in a blue moon, but since it’s sundal everywhere in blogs now a days I wanted to eat some too.  One can make sundal of any beans like chickpeas, black chickpeas, peanuts etc and here am using mochakottai (mochai kottai) aka Val Beans which is delicious option to try. 

Ingredients:
Mochakottai/Val Beans – 1 cup/150gms
Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tsp
  For Tempering:
Hing/Asafoetida – a pinch
Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal – 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chillies – 1
Slit Green Chillies – 1
Minced Ginger – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig

   Method:
1. Rinse and soak mochakottai/val beans for 5-6 hours or overnight. 

  ~ Mochai kottai double in size after soaking over night, you can see in the below picture the size of beans before and after soaking. 

2. Rinse again and pressure cook with enough water (around 3 cups) and salt for 4-5 whistles, once pressure is release drain water and keep boiled mochakottai aside.

3. In a pan or wok heat oil and add ingredients ‘for tempering’ in order.   Once mustard seeds splutters and urad dal gets light brown add boiled mochakotttai and give a good stir.

4. Add grated coconut mix well (adjust salt if required) and fry for 2 minute, turn off flame.

Our mochakottia.val beans sundal is ready.  A wonderful way to munch on these guilt free snacks.  We had with as always tea.

 Variations:
~ You can add 2 tbsp of fresh cilantro or mint.
~ Add little fresh crushed peppercorn for that extra spicy kick.  I add little pepper for DH and he liked it that way.
~ Fresh minched ginger adds good flavour so try not to skip it.

Have a nice day ~~