Horse Gram/ Gahat Dal/ Kulthi- Legume with Amazing Health Benefits. Many of us are familiar with red, black, and green gram, but few of us know about this protein-rich legume, horse gram. In this blog, we will be talking about this amazing super-food, its nutrition content, and health benefits.
Horse gram is cultivated in all parts of India since ancient times and is native to tropical southern Asia. It is a drought-resistant crop and grows in an area where the temperature range is between 20-30°C. It has a dry and hard texture and is known for its unique taste and aroma.
Horse gram in Hindi is known as Kulthi and is called Gahat dal in Uttarakhand. As its name suggests, horse gram was commonly grown as horse feed. But today, it gets consumed globally either in sprouted form, as a health drink prepared with its powder, or as traditional Indian dishes like dals and salads. Gahat dal is a traditional and popular food of Uttarakhand, among others like Mandua and Jhangura. Gahat ka paratha and gahat ki dal are some delicious food recipes you can taste in Uttarakhand.
This nutritionally rich pulse is a rich source of protein, minerals, and vitamins and is known for providing multiple health benefits. But besides its high nutritional importance and amazing health benefits, Horse gram or Gahat dal is an underutilized or undervalued pulse crop in India.
Horse Gram Nutrition
Kulthi or Horse gram nutrition is something that will impress you. Kulthi is a source of some important nutrients. It has a high protein and fiber content with plenty of antioxidants.
Also, it contains vitamins ( thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin) and essential minerals (iron and phosphorus). Even though horse gram nutrition content also depends on the soil condition and weather, the below-mentioned charts give the horse gram nutrition content.
| Carbohydrate | 57.2% w/w |
| Calories | 321 kcal |
| Protein | 22% w/w |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.3% w/w |
| Fat | 0.50% w/w |
| Calcium | 287 mg |
| Phosphorus | 311 mg |
| Iron | 6.77 mg |
Horse Gram Benefits
Kulthi is an excellent food for your overall well-being as it is full of essential nutrients. Let’s take a look at horse gram benefits for your overall health.
1. Horse Gram for Weight Loss
Consuming horse gram seeds helps you in weight management by burning fat. Phenol present in the gahat dal helps to convert fat into energy. This energy gets used by your body.
You can have it in powdered form after mixing with water, or you can eat it raw by soaking it in water or boiling.
2. Prevent Kidney Stones
Regular consumption of gahat helps to avoid kidney stone formation and helps remove the kidney stone from the body.
Kidney stones are formed due to the crystallization of calcium phosphate salts in the body. The antioxidants present in the horse gram inhibit this crystallization process.
3. Control Diabetes
Horse gram is a diabetic-friendly food. As per the Scientists from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, consumption of unprocessed gahat dal seeds after a meal can reduce high blood sugar by slowing down carbohydrate digestion and reducing insulin resistance.
4. Aid in Digestion
For people having digestion issues and suffering from acid reflux, kulthi is beneficial. Consumption of soaked kulthi empty stomach in the morning aids in digestion, thanks to its high fiber content.
Additionally, it also helps in regular bowel movement and reduces diarrhea chances by absorbing extra fluids from the stomach.
5. Traditional Medicine
Gahat dal has been a part of traditional medicines for various health issues such as jaundice, anemia, cough, cold, urinary problems, peptic ulcer, and even menstrual problems.
6. Good for Heart
Gahat dal also takes care of your heart as it reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. Also, antioxidants present in the horse gram protect your heart from any damage caused by free radicals.
7. Good For Respiratory Health
Kulthi is very beneficial for your respiratory health and provides relief in cold, cough, and fever. You should take gahat dal soup if you have a cold and cough. Polyphenols present in kulthi helps in extracting phlegm and provides relief.
Horse Gram Side Effects
Horse gram contains phytic acid, which affects the absorption of minerals in your body but soaking, and cooking reduces its content.
Avoid excessive Gahat dal consumption during pregnancy as it generates excessive heat in your body.
People having menstrual problems should also avoid eating kulthi.
Horse Gram Recipes
Horse gram is a super-food that provides you nutrition as well as ensures your good health. We have covered the two famous horse gram food recipes of Uttarakhand. Gahat ka paratha and gahat ki dal are traditional food recipes of Uttarakhand that you must try at home. They are easy to make and tastes delicious so let’s get started with the recipes.
1. Gahat ka Paratha/ Kulthi ka Paratha
Ingredients:
- Horse gram – 1 cup
- Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
- turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
- Chopped green chillies – 2-3
- Salt – As per taste
- ginger paste – 1/2 tsp
- Chopped coriander leaves
Recipe:
- Wash and soak gahat dal overnight.
- Cook the dal in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles.
- Grind the cooked kulthi to make a paste.
- Now add salt, turmeric powder, and red chilli powder to the paste and mix well. Add chopped green chillies and coriander leaves also.
- Your stuffing is ready. Keep it aside.
- Now take 1 cup of wheat flour and a little salt to it.
- Knead the dough using water.
- Divide the dough into medium-sized balls. Roll the dough ball to make a chappati. Apply some ghee to it, add some prepared dal mixture and seal it nicely.
- Apply dry wheat flour to it and roll it to make a thick roti.
- Heat a non-stick pan or tawa and roast the paratha on low flame. Keep flipping the paratha from time to time. Apply ghee to both sides and cook properly.
- Paratha is ready to serve. You can have it with ghee.
2. Gahat ki Dal/ Kulthi Dal
Ingredients:
- Horse gram – 1/2 Cup
- Ghee – 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder – 1
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – As per taste
- Chopped onion – 1
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Chopped tomato – 1
- coriander leaves for garnishing
Recipe:
- Soak the gahat dal in water overnight.
- Boil the soaked gahat dal in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water; add salt to it.
- Cook the dal till 4-5 whistles.
- Heat ghee in a pan on medium flame. Add mustard and cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Add asafoetida (thing); cook for a few seconds.
- Now add the ginger-garlic paste; cook on a medium flame for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chopped onion, sauté till they turn golden.
- Add tomatoes, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Cover the pan and let it cook for few minutes.
- Now, add the boiled horse gram into the pan. Cover it, and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off the flame.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have seen horse gram or gahat dal, a high protein lentil, has a good nutrition profile and comes with numerous health benefits. We hope this blog was helpful for you. You can shop horse gram/ gahat dal/ kulthi online through the link given below:
If you have any queries, please drop us a comment in the comment section.
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