Black chickpea usli/Kadle usli/Kadle upkari This is one easy recipe one can ever make. It may not be really quick as soaking and cooking will take sometime. But if you have some left over cooked black chana then you can prepare this usli/upkari in 5 minutes.

I have fond memories of eating usli, served in temples as ‘Prasad’. At home, during vrat/fasting, usli made from chickpea, green gram, split green gram (mung daal), split chickpea (chana daal), corn kernels and many others is a common sight. It makes a healthy, easy and tasty option to break the fast.

Now, its been a long time that I have had chana usli prepared at home, or even at temple. Coming to that point, it makes me realise how we have grown up to get busy with our daily life that we have forgotten all those little things that gave us great pleasure. As kids, we took time to study, to play, to pray, to eat and most importantly to sleep. It was jolly-good time back then. We now spend time in terms of weekdays and weekends, having absolutely no time for self.

Life is mechanical and monotonous. In the weekdays we are either in office or caught in the traffic jungle. The weekend is spent clearing a backlog- fix a broken pipe, do laundry, buy groceries, a banking work (never ending), and even before you realise Monday is knocking. We have no time, we complain. this pattern repeats; but, dear friends, let us take time for ourselves, for little things that makes us happy. You might ask why am I giving you gyan over a mere chana usli? This mere usli brought back lot of memories  and makes me want to go back to my younger free spirited days.

Everybody has some element that strikes a chord and brings back tons of memories. For me it was kadle/chana usli. I must a thank a colleague, whose breakfast was usli and sight of it made me nostalgic. Yes, usli can be had for breakfast or as a snack. It is healthy and really fills you up while being equally tasty.

Make this simple usli and enjoy your ‘little things’ moment.

 

Ingredients

• Black chickpea/black chana 1 cup
• Grated coconut 2 tbsp
• Onion 1 small finely chopped
• Green chillies 2 small
• Curry leaves 1 strand
• Red chilli 1 big
• Mustard seeds 1 tsp
• Urad daal 1 tsp
• Sugar 1 tsp
• Salt
• Oil 2 tsp

Method

• Soak chickpea/chana overnight or for 8 hrs. Pressure cook the chana till they are soft. Add little salt.
• In a pan/kadai heat oil on medium flame.
• Add urad daal and mustard seeds,let it splutter.
• Add curry leaves, red chilli, onions and green chillies and fry for 1 minute.
• Add coconut, sugar, salt and mix well.
• Add cooked chana and mix well.
• Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (optional) and serve hot.

Note

• A tsp of grated ginger can be added.
• Squeeze half a lime to the mixture after the flame is put off. This is however optional. Skip sugar if using lime.