Uppu saaru is a traditional recipe of south Karnataka. It is a healthy and delicious dish made with vegetables, beans, greens, lentils, and pulses.  Uppu Saaru with palya is a perfect dish to enjoy on a rainy day or to get rid of cold. It is a healthy rasam made from the stock of greens and lentils, a traditional chutney is prepared to accompany it with rice or ragi mudde.

Preparation time – 15 min

Cooking time – 30 min

Serves – 4

Ingredients –

To cook –

Tur dal – 1/2 cup

Indian field beans – 3/4 cup

Harive soppu/ amaranth leaves –  1 bowl (3-4 medium bunch) chopped

Tomato – 1 medium

Green chilies – 6-8 no’s

Method –

To make or to prepare Uppu saaru –

Rinse tur dal in water, add it to a pressure pan, add tomato, green chilies and 2 cup of water into it and pressure cook it for 1 or 2 whistles. when the pressure of the cooker settle downs by it own open the lid of the pressure pan, remove the cooked green chilies and set aside to prepare chutney,

Ingredients –

To prepare Khara chutney – 

Fresh Coriander – 1 big bunch

Cooked green chilies

Pepper corns – 1 tsp

Cumin – 1 tsp

Garlic – 1 small (peel the skin)

Tamarind – less than a small marble

Salt to taste

Method –

Uppu saarina Khara –

Add pepper and cumin into a mixer jar make a coarse powder without adding water, once it is done add all the other ingredients to grind and add little water and grind to make chutney and set aside.Transfer it to a serving dish .

This chutney is called  Uppu saarina Khara to add/mix with rice/ragi mudde with curry and palya.

Drain the mixture with a colander, collect the stock of it and allow the dal and tomato to cool (to grind). In the same pressure pan cook Indian field beans, add water to cook for 4-5 whistles and add salt to taste,

When it is done add cleaned, rinsed (twice or thrice in water) chopped Harive soppu/amaranth leaves into it cook until it is cooked/done.

Add cooked dal and tomato to mixer jar and make a fine paste, strain the cooked greens in the same colander, collect the stock in the same container. (Drained greens to make palya/sabzi)

Add dal and tomato paste into the collected stock,

Stir and combine to your consistency, Add about a tbsp of khara/chutney prepared to the drained water (stock) & mix. Adjust the salt (if needed) & boil it. Rasam/saaru is ready. (Temper it with mustard and curry leaves which is optional)

Ingredients –

To prepare palya/sabzi –

Onion – 2-3 no’s chopped

Dry red chilies – 2-3 no’s make small pieces

Curry leaves – 1 or 2 springs

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Oil – 2 tbs

Method –

To prepare Palya –

Heat a pan by adding oil in it , when it is hot add mustard seeds in it when it begins to splutter add curry leaves and chilies, saute and add chopped onion into it and fry until the onions turns to translucent.

Add (drained) cooked greens into it and toss it well

Add grated coconut mix once again properly, remove from the flame.

Enjoy traditional Uppu saaru with Ragi mudde (finger millet flour formed to a dough ball in boiling hot water), steamed rice, accompany it with prepared palya and Khara (chutney).

Tips –

You can prepare this recipe with other type of greens as well, and also with dry pulses like horse gram, green gram, black eyed peas

Most of the family has got their own way of making this recipe, this is my way of preparing Uppu saaru. This is a traditional recipe which is followed from generations popularly known as uppessaru or uppu saaru and also sappe saaru.

Khara can be preserved for more than a week in a air tight container store it in refrigerator. This chutney can be applied/spread with a tsp of ghee on hot roti’s/ chapati, roll and enjoy as a delicious breakfast or for kids lunch box dish.

Serving idea’s –

Serve uppu saaru with hot steamed rice with ghee, add curry/prepared saaru, add kaara to adjust to your taste, mix it properly accompany it with prepared palya. A perfect dish to get rid of cold/ or to enjoy it on a rainy day. The Aroma of garlic, pepper and cumin gives a tangling taste to the taste buds which is just irresistible in taste.

Uppu saaru is a staple food for farmers, sometimes Ragi mudde (finger millet flour formed to a dough ball in boiling hot water) is prepared, 1 or 2 tbs of khara and ghee is added to it and knead it properly until the chutney must mix with it, then served as breakfast also.

My kids like to have rasam as “pani”(pani poori) and also they tell this recipe as ‘pani saaru’.

You can also try my traditional south Karnataka recipes like mosoppu, bassaru, soppina saaru