Horse gram

Macrotyloma uniflorum · Legume

40 pairings

Horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum), known across India as kulthi, kollu, hurali or ulavalu, is a small, hard, drought-hardy pulse of the dry tropics and one of the most protein-dense of all cultivated legumes. Its tiny flat seeds — reddish-brown, grey, black or mottled — are simmered into the tart South Indian broth rasam, roasted and ground into spice podis, boiled with the cooking water drunk as a savoury soup, or sprouted.

Picking a good onedrag

This season's cropOld and stony, will not soften

Cupboard stockThe kollu rasam and ulava charu workhorse. Soak overnight and pressure-cook soft, and keep the dark cooking water — that broth is half the dish.Everyday best

ColourStill true in colour, the sheen gone flat

Seed coatsA few chipped or split coats, most sound

The bag or binA little chaff and a stone or two to pick out

Smell in the bagPapery and neutral, nothing off

What to look for, from this season's crop to old and stony, will not soften.

What one gives you

100%

Usable yield

no refuse, the whole dry seed is edible · about 2½–3 cups cooked from 1 cup dry — the general pulse rule; USDA has no cooked record

Preparing