Recipe for Mandya / Mysuru style Uppu Saaru with Palya (stir-fry) made with greens and lentils. Recipe with step by step pictures and video.
Uppu Saaru literally means salted broth or salted rasam in this case. This is a very traditional recipe popular in the Mandya – Mysuru region. This is an everyday recipe served for lunch along with Ragi Mudde or Rice. The lentils and beans are cooked along with the greens in water. the stock is then flavoured with a spice paste to make saaru / rasam. The drained lentil-bean-green mixture is used to make a stir-fry called as palya. This is a two dish in one recipe kind of a deal. The saaru is the broth / rasam and the palya is the stir-fry.
Here is the video of how to make uppu saaru
Here is how to make uppu saaru
Boiling the lentils and veggies for the uppu saaru
Boil the black eyed pea with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 12 minutes. Ignore the number of whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle. Set aside.
Wash and soak the toor dal in half a cup of water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and add it to a pan. Add a liter of water. Add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder. Bring it to a boil. Let the mixture boil on a medium flame for 20 minutes. The lentils will cook in this time but will still be very firm.
After 20 minutes, add in the boiled black eyed pea along with the water and a tomato. I like the flavour of tomatoes in saaru. So I have added two tomatoes.
Add in the greens and boil for 10 more minutes. Any kind of amaranth leaves will work for this recipe. Even the regular palak is ok. Any green you have on hand that is not too bitter ex- methi or drumstick leaves will work really well for this recipe. Avoid making the recipe with methi or drumstick leaves.
Drain the mixture. The drained stock will be used for making saaru and the remaining lentil-bean-green mixture will be made into a palya (stir-fry).
Now we will make Khara – Spice Paste for making the saaru
Set aside the boiled tomato from above and a couple of tablespoon of the boiled lentil mixture. Gather the rest of the ingredients. Soak the tamarind in a little water for a few minutes so its easy to grind.
Grind everything to a slightly coarse paste.
Add the paste to the drained stock. Mix well and bring the mixture to a boil. Add in a teaspoon of salt.
While the mixture is boiling, add in the coriander leaves and simmer the saaru for 5 minutes.
Tempering the saaru
Heat coconut oil in a small kadai. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the curry leaves, dried red chillies and the asafoetida. Add it to the saaru. Saaru is ready.
Now, lets make Palya (stir-fry)
Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Saute on a low flame till the garlic is roasted and light brown. Add in the finely chopped onions and saute till the onions are soft.
Add in the drained lentil-bean-green mixture and the salt. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add in the fresh shredded coconut and mix well to combine. Cook for a minute. Palya is ready.
Traditionally, uppu saaru and palya is served for lunch with Ragi Mudde or Rice. Serve hot.
Uppu Saaru Recipe
Recipe for Mandya / Mysuru style Uppu Saaru with Palya (stir-fry) made with greens and lentils. Recipe with step by step pictures and video.
- Total Time: 80m
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Cooking the black eyed peas
1/2 cup black eyed pea
2 cups water
Other Ingredients for making the uppu saaru
1/2 cup toor dal
1 liter water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 ripe tomatoes
250 grams amaranth leaves
1 teaspoon salt
3 sprigs coriander leaves
Khara Spice Paste for uppu saaru
2 Byadagi chillies
2 Guntur chillies
1 Green chilli
6 cloves garlic
1 sprig curry leaves
1 Gooseberry sized tamarind soaked in little water
2 tablespoon onions, diced
1 tablespoon fresh shredded coconut
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 sprigs coriander leaves
2 Boiled tomato (from making stock above)***
2 tablespoon boiled bean-lentil mixture (from making stock above)***
Tempering the Saaru
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 dried red chilli, broken
Ingredients for Palya – Stir-Fry
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 green chillies, slit
2 dried chillies, roughly broken
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
boiled bean-lentil mixture (from making stock above)***
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut
Instructions
Boiling the lentils and veggies for the uppu saaru
Boil the black eyed pea with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 12 minutes. Ignore the number of whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle. Set aside.
Wash and soak the toor dal in half a cup of water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and add it to a pan. Add a liter of water. Add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder. Bring it to a boil. Let the mixture boil on a medium flame for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add in the boiled black eyed pea along with the water and a tomato. I like the flavour of tomatoes in saaru. So I have added two tomatoes. Add in the greens and boil for 10 more minutes. Any kind of amaranth leaves will work for this recipe. Even the regular palak is ok. Any green you have on hand that is not too bitter like methi or drumstick leaves will work really well for this recipe. Drain the mixture. The drained stock will be used for making saaru and the remaining lentil-bean-green mixture will be made into a palya (stir-fry).
Now we will make Khara – Spice Paste for making the saaru
Set aside the boiled tomato from above and a couple of tablespoon of the boiled lentil mixture. Gather the rest of the ingredients. Soak the tamarind in a little water for a few minutes so its easy to grind. Grind everything to a slightly coarse paste. Add the paste to the drained stock. Mix well and bring the mixture to a boil. Add in a teaspoon of salt. While the mixture is boiling, add in the coriander leaves and simmer the saaru for 5 minutes.
Tempering the saaru
Heat coconut oil in a small kadai. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the curry leaves, dried red chillies and the asafoetida. Add it to the saaru. Saaru is ready.
Now, lets make Palya (stir-fry)
Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Saute on a low flame till the garlic is roasted and light brown. Add in the finely chopped onions and saute till the onions are soft. Add in the drained lentil-bean-green mixture and the salt. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and mix well to combine. Cook for a minute. Palya is ready.
Traditionally, uppu saaru and palya is served for lunch with Ragi Mudde or Rice. Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 20m
- Cook Time: 60m
It is a simple and tasty saaru…. thanks for sharing it
Thank You!