Goa’s Traditional Dish, Mugagathi
In Goa, no religious or traditional ceremony is complete without a meal that includes the staple dish called Mugagathi, which is essentially a thin sprouted moong bean curry. The unique feature of this dish is that the moong beans used must be sprouted and peeled.
Ingredients for Mugagathi
- 250g sprouted moong beans
- 1 to 2 cups grated fresh coconut
- 2 to 3 fresh green chilies
- 1 large tomato
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coconut slices
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoons Goan sambar masala
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- Tamarind the size of a small lime
- A small piece of jaggery
Ingredients for Goan Sambar Masala
- 7-8 dried red chillies (adjust to taste)
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 8-10 peppercorns
Ingredients for Tempering
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (preferably traditional Goan oil)
- small pieces of 2-3 kashmiri dried chillies
Preparation of Mugagathi
- If you plan to make Mugagathi, start by soaking the moong beans two days prior. For example, if you want to prepare the dish on Sunday, soak the moong beans on Friday night. On Saturday morning, drain the beans and place them in a sieve or tie them tightly in a cloth to sprout. By night, the beans will have sprouted beautifully.
- Once sprouted, soak the beans overnight in water so that by morning, their peels come off easily. Remove the peels, rinse the beans a couple more times to remove as many peels as possible. If any peels remain, they will rise to the surface while cooking and can be skimmed off.
- Place the peeled moong beans in a pot with enough water to cook. If you’re making moong bean soup as well, add a little extra water.
- Once the beans are halfway cooked, add the chopped tomato (you can also add potato, yam, or bamboo shoots for variety). Optionally, add long slices of fresh green chillies and chopped fresh coconut slices. Let the beans continue to cook.
- Grind fresh coconut with the Goan sambar masala. If you don’t have ready-made sambar masala, grind dried red chilies, coriander seeds, and peppercorns with the grated coconut. While grinding, also add turmeric, tamarind, and jaggery.
- Once the beans are almost cooked, add this coconut mixture to the pot, along with salt to taste, and allow the dish to simmer.
- When the moong beans are fully cooked, prepare the tempering. Heat coconut oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add pieces of dried red chilies, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Pour this tempering over the cooked moong beans.
Serve hot Mugagathi with chapatis for a delicious meal.
