Saar

Saar is a soup, but best described as a thin curry prepared in Goan style. It is a mild spicy, sweet and sour curry. It is prepared from the stock of moong (green gram) or channe (white peas) or chana dal (split bengal gram) or toor dal (split pigeon peas). It is served with rice. In a traditional meal, it is preceded by varan or mixed with varan and rice, followed by uddamethi and solkadi. People love drinking it too.

In the olden times, the dishes were cooked using these dals and pulses in a large quantity. The food used to get cooked in huge vessels to serve joint families. The excessive water from cooked dals and pulses (stock) was not discarded, but used as a base for another curry and that is ‘Saar’.

This curry is prepared for all the religious occasions, and even offered to God. When offering it to God, tomato is avoided. My mother-in-law says, tomatoes were regarded as ‘mass phal‘ meaning meaty fruit and hence it was not offered to God.

Here goes the recipe for this simple, tasty and an easy to make curry.  

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml

Serves: 4  

Ingredients

1. Moong / channe / chana dal / toor dal stock – 2 to 2 1/2 cups
2. Coconut milk – 1/2 cup
3. Tamarind pulp – 2 tbsp approx
4. Tomato (diced) – 1 medium (optional)
5. Green chillies (slit) – 2
6. Jaggery (grated) – 2 tsp
7. Coconut oil – 1 tsp
8. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
9. Curry leaves – 6
10. Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp 
11. Shankar chhaap hing (powdered) – a pinch (otional)
12. Corriander leaves (chopped) – for garnishing
13. Salt to taste

Procedure

• Combine stock, tomato, green chillies, jaggery, tamarind pulp and shankar chaap hing in a pan. 
• Bring it to boil, and simmer till tomato softens slightly.
• Add coconut milk and salt. Let it simmer for a min.
• Heat oil in a tempering pan and add mustard seeds. Let them splutter. 
• Add curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Pour this tempering into the curry and simmer for a minute.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve with steamed rice and varan.

Tip: 

• There is no fixed ratio for stock and coconut milk. You may use it in a more or less quantity. If you want it even thinner, add plain water.