Bassaru | Cabbage Bas Saaru Recipe

Bassaru or Vanchina Chaaru - Bas-Saaru recipe with step-by-step pictures

Let’s see how to make Cabbage Bassaru or Vanchina Chaaru / Saaru Karnataka style

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Here I am sharing Cabbage Bassaru recipe, this recipe is from my grand-mom. Our elders had their meal planned cleverly. Vanchina-Chaaru or Bassaru recipe can be planned once a fortnight and every time bring in the variation with different vegetables, greens or grams. This way you will not repeat the recipe for next few months.

Bassaru is popular in Karnataka, Andra and some part of Tamil Nadu. In those days the partition among states were unlike from today's, Bassaru was famous in some part people from there, then carried this recipe to different parts of state after state-divisions. Hence dishes also still exists in wide spread states. 

Bassaru is two words – basi + saaru : basi or basida means strained or drained, saaru means gravy or rasam

Making saaru with strained veggie stock adding some masala is Bassaru, simple J

Bassaru in kannada or Vanchina Chaaru in telugu : is one of the most favourable and traditional dish in Karnataka; it is prepared most often at homes, Bas saaru or Bassaru has its special place in the cold winter months. This does not mean you cannot make in other seasons, this makes a very tasty recipe for all seasons. Comes with incredible health benefits, stimulates digestion and serves great for common cold, as this dish is made with Indian spices or herbs like garlic, pepper, cumin, coriander leaves, onions, red chillies, tamarind, and turmeric. Bassaru recipe is an authentic dish which has a mention in Ayurveda as well, apart from aiding digestion: It has many more health benefits. Let’s come to the taste…Bassaru / Vanchina Chaaru taste amazing; one will simply fall for this Indian Vegetarian gravy / rasam.

Bassaru - healthy stock that strained is cooked slowly over low heat with masala made of Indian herbs - to bring out natural flavor of spices in the gravy and the remaining vegetables and dal are stir fried with onions, garlic, red chillies to get a perfect side dish or palya which makes best accompaniment for the flavorful spicy Bassaru or Vanchina Chaaru / Rasam

Please try some of the traditional and healthy recipes in this blog.

Other veggies or gram combinations that go well for variation in Bassaru are

• Tur Dal & Greens  ( Dhantu / green amaranthus, Siru / Chilikaesoppu )
• Tur Dal & Beans & Dil leaves / sabsegesoppu
• Tur Dal & Drumstick leaves
• Tur Dal & Honagone soppu / ponnaganthi akku /sessiles joyweed
• Tur Dal & Gorikai / Guar bean / cluster bean

Or Even with grains

• Alasande kalu or black eyed peas
• Hurule or horse gram
• Green gram / moong bean 

All these makes not only delicious but most healthy dish for rice or ragi mudde/ finger millet ball, will share the recipes for Bassaru with Grains in my following blog. If you are looking for gravy for ragi mudde then try Upsaaru Khara, snake gourd kootu, shenga saaru/peanut gravy

Ingredients

1. Tur Dal – 1 cup
2. Cabbage – 1 small chopped
3. Tamarind – lemon size

 

For Tempering Bassaru

1. Oil – 1 teaspoon
2. Onion – 1 small finely chopped
3. Red chilli – 1
4. Mustard – 1/4 teaspoon
5. Curry leaves – few

For Tempering Palya / veggie stir fry

1. Oil – 1 teaspoon
2. Onion – 1 small finely chopped
3. Red chillies – 2
4. Garlic – 4 to 5 cloves
5. Mustard – 1/4 teaspoon
6. Urad dal – 1/4 teaspoon
7. Chana dal – 1/4 teaspoon
8. Curry leaves – few
9. Coconut grated – 4 tablespoons

 

For Grinding

1. Coconut – 1/4 Cup
2. Sambar Powder – 2 teaspoons or chilli-powder according to the spice
3. Garlic – 4 cloves
4. Onion – 1 small
5. Pepper corns – 1/4 teaspoon
6. Jeera or cumin – 1/2 teaspoon
7. Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon 
8. Cooked dal - 1 tablespoons
9. Coriander leaves - few strands

How to Make Bassaru or rasam

1. Rinse and cook the dal in a big pan adding about 4 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2. When dal is 3/4 th cooked add in finely chopped cabbage, cabbage gets cooked soon so keep checking on it- do not overcook both dal and cabbage
3. Once dal and cabbage are cooked – strain out the stock from veggies and keep it aside
4. Grind : Jeera (Cumin), Pepper, Sambar Powder(homemade) or just chilli powder, onions, garlic, turmeric powder, coconut and little of cooked dal (about a tablespoon of cooked dal)
5. Add the ground masala, tamarind extract (juice) and required salt to the stock removed from cooked veggies
6. Now heat a pan to make gravy, add oil
7. Once oil heats up add mustard
8. When mustard pops/ splutters add finely chopped onions, red chilli and curry leaves, Sauté for 2 minutes
9. Add the stock with added masala mixture, add more water if required to keep to the rasam consistent
10. Check for taste, if required add salt or chilli powder
11. Once gravy starts to boil low the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes
12. Bassaru or Vanchina Charu is ready

How to make Palya or vegetable stir fry

1. Heat oil in the  pan add mustard, wait until mustard splutters/ pops
2. Add urad and chana dal sauté for few minutes until color changes
3. Add red chillies and finely chopped onions, garlic crushed and curry leaves, sauté for few more minutes
4. Add cooked cabbage and dal that's strained earlier, add salt and stir it well for 2 minutes
5. Add grated coconut and remove from heat
6. Cabbage-dal stir fry or delicious palya is ready to serve
7. And here Bassaru and Palya is ready to server with Rice or Ragi Mudde

Notes:

• Take enough water to cook dal, as the gravy should be in rasam consistent
• Don't overcook the dal - grains should be cooked to soft and thick but not mashy
• Remove 1 tablespoon of 3/4 th cooked dal before adding in cabbage for grinding
• You can also pressure cook - for this you need to cook dal first in pressure cooker only till 3/4th done and then add cabbage - pressure cook again for few minutes until - both dal and cabbage are cooked to right consistency

Method with Step-by-step pictures

Rinse and cook the dal in a big pan adding about 4 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder

When dal is 3/4 th cooked add in finely chopped cabbage, cabbage gets cooked soon so keep checking on it- do not overcook both dal and cabbage

Once dal and cabbage are cooked – strain out the stock from veggies and keep it aside

Grind : Jeera (Cumin), Pepper, Sambar Powder(homemade) or just chilli powder, onions, garlic, turmeric powder, coconut and little of cooked dal (about a tablespoon of cooked dal) and coriander leaves

       

Add the ground masala, tamarind extract (juice) and required salt to the stock removed from cooked veggies

  

     

Now heat a pan to make gravy, add oil and mustard

When mustard pops/ splutters add finely chopped onions, red chilli and curry leaves, Sauté for 2 minutes

Add the stock with added masala mixture, add more water if required to keep to the rasam consistent.Once gravy starts to boil low the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes,  Bassaru or Vanchina Charu is ready

Method to make Palya or vegetable stir fry

Heat oil in the  pan add mustard, after mustard splutters/ pops a dd urad and chana dal  sauté for few minutes then add red chillies and finely chopped onions, garlic crushed and curry leaves, sauté for few more minutes

Add cooked cabbage and dal that's strained earlier, add salt and stir it well for 2 minutes

Add grated coconut and remove from heat, Cabbage-dal stir fry or delicious palya is ready to serve

Bassaru and Palya is ready to server with Rice or Ragi Mudde

Bassaru Palya