D10 · Dinner · Kerala
Cherupayar Curry (Kerala Green Moong)
Whole green moong cooked soft in a coconut-shallot gravy with curry leaves — a Kerala staple, traditionally eaten with kanji (rice gruel) for a light evening meal.
- Region
- Kerala
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Time, as written
- Soak 4 h · Prep 15 min · Cook 35 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Status
- Traditional
- Good for
- Light dinner, recovery days
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherupayar curry only (about 280 g) | 255 | 14 g | 31 g | 8 g | 5 g | 12 g | 2 g | 5.5 g |
| Dinner plate: curry, kanji from 40 g matta rice, moru from 100 g curd | 455 | 21 g | 66 g | 11 g | 7 g | 13 g | 7 g | 4.5 g |
Headline figures are for the full plate as served, with its stated roti, rice or bhakri; the dish alone is shown in the table.
Tier: Good source (plate); the dish alone is High protein. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Tempering
Plate
Method
Soak moong 4 hours. Pressure-cook with turmeric and 600 ml water for 3 whistles until soft.
Add the coconut paste and salt; simmer 5 minutes, mashing a few beans to thicken.
For kanji, cook matta rice with 1 litre water and salt until very soft (pressure-cook 6 whistles); serve with its cooking water.
Heat coconut oil; add mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and shallots. Fry until the shallots are golden; pour over the curry.
Serve the curry with kanji and moru.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Green moong supplies 14 g per serving; rice 3 g and moru 3.5 g on the plate.
- Boost
- Use 200 g curd per person for the moru (+3.5 g protein, +60 kcal).
- Lighter
- Groundnut oil and 20 g coconut save about 3 g saturated fat per serving.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Kerala cherupayar thoran — a dry stir-fry of cooked moong with grated coconut; serve as a side.
- Substitution
- 2 whole-wheat chapatis instead of kanji.
- Storage
- 3 days refrigerated.
- Food safety
- Reheat until boiling; keep moru chilled.
- Meal prep
- Excellent.
Allergens
Milk (moru); coconut
Labels: Good source · High fibre · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · No added sugar · Meal-prep friendly
Gluten-free* means gluten-free only when certified gluten-free hing is used; most hing contains wheat flour.