The Wholesome Horse Gram
Horse gram is a brownish red pulse with a flattened round shape, commonly available in grocery stores. But it’s not a widely explored plant, certainly not as popular as its counterparts black gram, red gram and green gram. Its most common use is as cattle food, especially for race horses, and hence the name.
Horse gram is considered a superfood, believed to have wondrous medicinal qualities according to the traditional medical systems of siddha and Ayurveda. Horse gram is loaded with dietary fiber and is a rich source of nutrients and contains essential minerals like phosphorous, calcium, protein and iron. For a vegetarian diet, it is the best source of protein with low calories.
Culinary uses
Horse gram has versatile use in cuisine as it can be consumed in any convenient form - boiled as whole seed, sprouted, or roasted and powdered.
- Horse gram dal is eaten as a part of the main course with rice or chapatti.
- Horse gram soup is a popular winter diet, as it warms the body.
- It can be sprouted to increase the nutritional value and mixed in salads.
- Various dishes like kollu sambar, kollu rasam, and kollu sundal are prepared using horse gram.
- It is roasted and powdered and used as an ingredient in curries, chutney etc.
Medicinal benefits
The health benefits of horse gram are described in many traditional medicinal texts.
- Weight loss: As prescribed by Ayurveda, it has natural qualities that make it a fat burner.
- Common cold and fever: It can treat health issues such as fever, coughs and cold, bronchial problems and asthma.
- Diabetes: Unprocessed raw horse gram seeds reduce the glycemic index and in turn reduce the insulin resistance. Daily intake of horse gram helps in lowering blood glucose levels.
- Kollu kanji made with horse gram and jaggery is a remedy for jaundice.
- Glowing skin: The astringent properties of horse gram are helpful in treating skin diseases like leukoderma. It is used in face packs to prevent skin problems and cleanse the skin.
- Horse gram is a good remedy for kidney stones because of its diuretic properties.
To reap the benefits of this nutrient-packed food, try out NatureMills’ Horse Gram Porridge Mix, Rice Mix and Soup, all produced 100% organically.
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Blog Contributor: Gopika Chezhian
