Paruppu Usili Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup toor dal
• Handful chana dal (split bengal gram dal)
• 2 red chillies
• 1 green chilli
• pinch of asafoetida
• Pinch of turmeric powder
• 2 cups chopped cluster beans(Kothavarangai)
• Oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 red chillies
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and soak the dals for 3-4 hours.
• Remove the ends of the cluster beans and any other fibrous parts. Chop them into small pieces. Cook them in a cup of water to which turmeric and salt has been added. This is take 8-10 minutes depending on how tender the beans are. Try and take only as much water as is needed to cook the beans so that you don't have to throw away any water in the end. Keep this aside.
• Drain the dals well. Take the dals, 2 red chillies and one green chilli with some sea salt, a pinch of turmeric and asafoetida in a mixer. Rough grind the above. Don't make too smooth a paste.
• In a steamer / cooker without whistle steam the above mixture for about 10 minutes. Once cooled, crumble it well with your hands.
• In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Crackle the mustard seeds in the oil, add the 2 chillies. Then, add the crumbled usili and saute till it turns golden brown. This is the paruppu-usili.
• Add the cooked beans to this and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
• Paruppu Usili is ready to serve. Instead of Cluster Beans(Kothavarangai), you can use French Beans, Banana Flower(Vazhappoo). Can be served with Sambar Sadam, Rasam Sadam