Horse Gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) is one of the less known beans. The whole seeds of horse gram are generally utilized to feed cattle. But it is consumed as whole seeds as well as sprouts in the South Indian states.

Horse gram is a legume grown mostly under dry-land agriculture. Its chemical composition is comparable with the other legumes. Horse gram is an excellent source of iron and molybdenum.

De-husking, germination, cooking, and roasting have shown to produce beneficial effects on nutritional quality of horse grams. Soaking reduces the cooking time and improves the quality of its protein.

Horse gram is called (മുതിര) Muthira in Malayalam which almost sounds like (കുതിര) kuthira, the Malayalam word for horse. It is used in special kinds of dishes.

Horse gram called (கொள்ளு) KoLLu in Tamil, is used in koLLu chutney, koLLu porial, koLLu avial, koLLu sambar, and koLLu rasam. In traditional siddha cuisine, horse gram is considered as a food with medicinal qualities.

Horse gram Ulava (singular) Ulavalu (plural), (‘ఉలవలు’) in Telugu is prescribed for persons suffering from jaundice or water retention and as part of a diet to lose weight. It is considered beneficial for iron deficiencies and helpful in maintaining body temperature in the winter season.

In the coastal Konkan region horse gram (Kulith) is often used to make Kulith Usal, pithla and laddu. In Konkani it is called as “Kulith (कुळीथ)” and is used to make popular dishes like Kulitan Saaru and Upkari and Kulitan Ghassi. In Karnataka cuisine, ‘ಹುರಳಿಸಾರು’ (huraLi saaru), ಹುರಳಿ (huraLi) is a main ingredient.

Gahat or Kulath is a major ingredient in the of Himalayan North India. In Gharwal region, an elaborate dish “phanu” is made in a kadhai with soaked and roughly ground gahat boiled over several hours. Towards the end, some finely chopped greens like palak or spinach, rai, tender radish leaves or coriander leaves are added to complete the dish.

Served with boiled rice, jhangora or just roti, phanu is a wholesome and nutritious meal. Phnau is somewhat heavy to digest. It is possible to go through the whole day without feeling hungry, after having a big phanu meal in the morning.