Sorghum and Cowpeas Sweet Salad / Cholam and Karamani Inippu Sundal

So, what are the navarathiri special recipes this year? asked my colleague during lunch break. Just realized navarathiri is fast approaching and I haven’t prepared anything special for the festival. We don’t have a custom of organizing golu at home, but prepare sundal on each day to offer god. My colleague’s question was ringing in my mind and decided to cook something for the upcoming festival.

Later on the day, when I was speaking to my mom about it, she mentioned about the sundal we used to have when we were school going kids. As she would remember she has been eating it more than a decade and recalled the sweet memories behind it. My mom’s family is big and she would tell the story of how my grandma managed to prepare a big meal for all her siblings.

During the fasting days (mainly during Tamil month ‘Puratasi’), she would prepare some fasting foods and this sundal is one among them. Both sorghum and cow peas had been harvested in their field itself and that would be the one of the reasons behind this combo as my mom recollected.

She also said how my grandma managed to cook sorghum without pressure cooker and generally it takes long time to cook. My mom has always reminded me of long lost recipes. Thanks to my mom and my grand mom for this healthy no oil sundal recipe.

Basic Information:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Soaking Time: 8 hours or overnight

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Great Millet / Sorghum / White Cholam – 1/4 heaped cup

Red black eyed beans / Cowpeas / Karamani / Thattampayar – 1/4 cup

Grated fresh cocont – 2 tablespoons

Green cardamom – 2 nos., crushed

Jaggery – 1/4 cup, grated

Method:

1) Wash sorghum and cow peas separately. Soak it in a separate bowl with a cup of water in each bowl.

2) In the next day morning, you can see both sorghum and cow peas had doubled in its size after absorbing the water.

3) Drain the water from sorghum first and transfer it to the pressure cooker. Add a cup of water and pressure cook it for 3-5 whistles. The number of whistles vary based on the cooking time of the sorghum. Few organic brands cook quickly whereas few takes long time and need more number of whistles.

4) After 3-5 whistles, turn off the stove. Let the steam suppresses well. Remove the lid and add the cow peas to it. Cover and cook again for just 3 whistles.

5) Once the steam suppresses well from pressure cooker, drain the water completely using the colander. Let it be for few minutes to drain out all the water content from it.

6) Transfer the sundal to a mixing bowl. Add greated coconut, crushed green cardamom(or cardamom powder) and grated jaggery. Mix well.

7) Easy, Healthy Sundal is ready. Serve in bowls.

Notes:

1) Sometimes, the sorghum may not have cooked even after 5 whistles. So check whether it is cooked or not, before adding the cowpeas. If it has not cooked well, allow it cook it for few more whistles and then add cow peas.

2) Do not cook more than 3 whistle after adding cow peas.