D14 · Dinner · Karnataka
Bassaru with Ragi Mudde
A rural Karnataka meal: toor dal, sprouted moong and greens cooked together, then split into bassaru (a peppery thin saaru made from the cooking water) and palya, eaten with soft ragi balls.
- Region
- Karnataka (Old Mysore)
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Time, as written
- Sprouting 1–2 days · Prep 20 min · Cook 40 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Moderate (mudde takes practice)
- Status
- Traditional
- Good for
- Everyday dinner
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bassaru and palya | 295 | 17 g | 39 g | 7 g | 2 g | 14 g | 4 g | 6.0 g |
| Dinner plate: bassaru, palya, 1 ragi mudde (60 g flour) | 485 | 21 g | 79 g | 8 g | 2 g | 20 g | 4 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. Amaranth leaves used for the greens. 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
Saaru paste
Tempering
Mudde
Method
Pressure-cook toor dal, sprouts, greens, onion, tomato, garlic and turmeric with 900 ml water for 3 whistles.
Strain, keeping the liquid (bas). The solids are the palya base.
Grind the saaru paste ingredients with 100 ml of the bas. Simmer the remaining bas with the paste and salt for 8 minutes — this is the bassaru.
Temper mustard, curry leaves and hing in the oil; pour half over the bassaru and toss the other half with the palya.
For mudde, boil the water with salt. Sprinkle in 2 tbsp ragi flour and stir; then add the rest in a mound without stirring. Cover and cook on low 4 minutes.
Stir vigorously with a wooden stick or the back of a ladle until there are no lumps (2–3 minutes). Wet your palms and shape into 3 balls.
Serve mudde with bassaru poured over and palya on the side. Pinch off pieces of mudde, dip and swallow rather than chew — the traditional way.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Toor dal supplies 8.5 g per serving, sprouts 4.5 g, greens 2 g; ragi 4.5 g on the plate.
- Boost
- Serve with 100 g curd (+3.5 g protein, +60 kcal), traditional in many homes.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Avarekalu (hyacinth bean) bassaru in winter, with fresh avarekalu instead of sprouts.
- Substitution
- Steamed rice (40 g raw) instead of mudde.
- Storage
- Bassaru and palya keep 2 days refrigerated; mudde is best fresh.
- Food safety
- Reheat bassaru until boiling.
- Meal prep
- Cook the dal-greens base ahead.
Allergens
None of the major allergens (coconut; check hing)
Labels: Good source · High fibre · Dairy-free · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · No added sugar
Gluten-free* means gluten-free only when certified gluten-free hing is used; most hing contains wheat flour.