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Tag: Vegan

  • Puttu and Kadala Curry

    Puttu and kadala curry is the breakfast most Malayalis grew up with. Puttu is coarse rice flour, moistened and layered with grated coconut in a cylindrical steamer called a puttu kutti, then steamed until it holds its shape. It is pushed out as a log and broken up at the table. Kadala curry, made with small black chickpeas, is its most popular companion.

    The puttu is soft, crumbly and lightly salted, with sweetness from the coconut. The curry is earthy and robust, thickened with coconut roasted until dark brown, which gives it its colour and nutty depth. People mash the puttu with the curry by hand, sometimes adding a ripe banana or pappadam on the side.

    At a glance

    RegionKerala
    CuisineKerala
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time45 minutes
    Total time65 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice flour / coconut / black chickpeas / shallots

    Ingredients

    For the puttu

    • 2 cups roasted puttu podi (coarse rice flour)
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • about 3/4 cup water
    • 1 cup freshly grated coconut

    For the kadala curry

    • 1 cup kala chana (black chickpeas), soaked overnight
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 cup grated coconut
    • 1 tbsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 2 tbsp coconut oil
    • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    • 8 shallots, sliced
    • 1 inch ginger, chopped
    • 2 green chillies, slit
    • 2 sprigs curry leaves
    • 1 small tomato, chopped

    Method

    1. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas with salt and 2.5 cups water for 6-7 whistles on medium heat, until soft. Keep the cooking water.
    2. In a dry pan, roast the grated coconut on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until deep brown and fragrant. Add coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric, roast 30 seconds more, cool and grind to a fine paste with a little water.
    3. Heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, then add shallots, ginger, green chillies and one sprig of curry leaves. Saute for 5 minutes until golden. Add tomato and cook until soft.
    4. Add the chickpeas with their water and the coconut paste. Simmer for 10-12 minutes on low heat until the gravy thickens. Mash a few chickpeas against the pan to thicken it more. Stir in garam masala and the remaining curry leaves.
    5. For the puttu, mix the rice flour and salt. Sprinkle water a little at a time, rubbing with your fingers, until the flour is evenly moist and holds together when pressed but breaks apart easily. It should feel like wet sand, not dough.
    6. Fill the puttu kutti: a layer of 2 tbsp coconut at the bottom, then rice flour up to about a third, then coconut, repeating until full, ending with coconut. Do not press down.
    7. Steam on high heat over boiling water for 6-8 minutes, until steam comes out steadily from the top holes. Push the puttu out onto a plate with the rod.
    8. Serve hot with the kadala curry.

    Tips

    • If you lack a puttu kutti, steam the moistened flour in idli moulds or a pressure cooker vessel with a coconut-shell attachment.
    • Rubbing the flour with water is the whole technique; too wet and puttu turns heavy, too dry and it falls apart.
    • Roast the coconut evenly and patiently; it is what makes the curry dark and nutty.

    Serve with

    Pappadam and a ripe small banana (poovan pazham), or a cup of hot tea.

  • Appam with Vegetable Stew

    Appam and stew is the classic breakfast of Kerala's Syrian Christian homes, and it is the dish served on Easter and Christmas mornings. Appam is made from a fermented batter of rice and coconut, traditionally raised with toddy, and cooked in a small round pan called an appachatti, which is swirled to give it its bowl shape.

    A good appam has a lacy, crisp, golden rim and a thick, spongy, slightly sweet centre. The stew, or ishtu, is mild and fragrant: vegetables simmered in thin coconut milk with whole spices, green chillies and ginger, and finished with thick coconut milk. Nothing is fried brown or heavily spiced, so the coconut flavour leads.

    At a glance

    RegionKerala
    CuisineKerala
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time40 minutes
    Total time70 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / coconut / coconut milk / potato / carrot

    Ingredients

    For the appam batter

    • 1.5 cups raw rice (pachari), soaked 5 hours
    • 1 cup fresh grated coconut
    • 1/2 cup cooked rice
    • 1 tsp instant yeast
    • 2 tbsp sugar
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • about 1 cup water

    For the stew

    • 2 tbsp coconut oil
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 3 cloves
    • 3 green cardamoms
    • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
    • 1 large onion, sliced
    • 1 inch ginger, julienned
    • 3 green chillies, slit
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 1 large potato, cubed
    • 1 carrot, cubed
    • 1/2 cup French beans, cut
    • 1/2 cup green peas
    • 1.5 cups thin coconut milk
    • 3/4 cup thick coconut milk
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

    Method

    1. Grind the soaked rice, grated coconut, cooked rice, sugar and yeast with water to a very smooth, flowing batter. Cover and ferment in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight, until doubled and bubbly. Stir in salt; the batter should be like thin pancake batter.
    2. For the stew, heat coconut oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns and fry for 20 seconds.
    3. Add onion, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and saute for 3-4 minutes until the onion is soft but not browned.
    4. Add the potato, carrot, beans and peas with the thin coconut milk and salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for 12-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
    5. Lower the heat to the minimum and stir in the thick coconut milk. Heat for 1-2 minutes until just hot; do not let it boil, or the milk will split. Switch off.
    6. To make appam, heat an appachatti on medium heat and grease lightly. Pour in a ladle of batter, lift the pan by its handles and swirl once so the batter coats the sides thinly and pools in the centre.
    7. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges are golden and crisp and the centre is set and spongy. Do not flip.
    8. Loosen with a spatula and serve straight away with the stew.

    Tips

    • The cooked rice in the batter gives appam its soft, spongy centre.
    • Thick coconut milk goes in at the very end on low heat to keep the stew creamy and white.
    • In cold weather, ferment the batter in an oven with only the light switched on.

    Serve with

    Serve the stew poured over the appam; chicken or mutton stew is the festive alternative.

  • Puliyodarai

    Puliyodarai, also called puli sadam or tamarind rice, is the most famous prasadam of Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu, and Iyengar families have kept the recipe as a point of pride. The heart of it is pulikachal, a tamarind paste cooked slowly in gingelly oil until thick and dark. Made in bulk, the paste keeps for weeks and turns leftover rice into a meal in minutes.

    The flavour is sour, spicy and slightly sweet, with a nutty depth from roasted sesame and fenugreek. Good puliyodarai is glossy and well coated, each grain brown and separate. It tastes better a few hours after mixing, which is why it is the standard food for train journeys and pilgrimages.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineIyengar
    DietVegan
    CourseRice
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time35 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / tamarind / sesame seeds / peanuts / gingelly oil

    Ingredients

    For the spice powder

    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
    • 1 tsp chana dal
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
    • 4 dry red chillies
    • 1 tbsp white sesame seeds

    For the pulikachal

    • large lemon-sized ball of tamarind (about 60 g), soaked in 1.5 cups hot water
    • 1/3 cup gingelly oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tbsp chana dal
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 3 tbsp raw peanuts
    • 3 dry red chillies, broken
    • 2 sprigs curry leaves
    • 1/2 tsp asafoetida
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1.5 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp grated jaggery

    For the rice

    • 4 cups cooked rice (from 1.25 cups raw), cooled
    • 1 tbsp gingelly oil

    Method

    1. Dry roast the coriander, chana dal, urad dal, fenugreek, pepper and red chillies on low heat for 4-5 minutes until golden and fragrant. Add sesame in the last minute and roast until it pops. Cool and grind to a fine powder.
    2. Extract about 1.5 cups of thick tamarind extract and strain.
    3. Heat the gingelly oil in a heavy kadai on medium heat. Fry the peanuts for 2 minutes until crunchy, then add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
    4. Add chana dal, urad dal and red chillies and fry until the dals are golden. Add curry leaves and asafoetida.
    5. Pour in the tamarind extract with turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low-medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring now and then, until it reduces to a thick paste and oil separates at the edges.
    6. Stir in jaggery and 3 tbsp of the spice powder and cook for 2 more minutes. This is the pulikachal.
    7. Spread the cooled rice in a wide bowl, drizzle with 1 tbsp gingelly oil and add about 4-5 tbsp of pulikachal and 1 tbsp more spice powder.
    8. Mix gently with your fingers or a flat spoon until every grain is coated. Taste and adjust. Rest for at least an hour before serving.

    Tips

    • Leftover pulikachal keeps in a clean dry jar in the fridge for a month, provided it is covered with oil.
    • Cooking the rice slightly firm with a few drops of oil keeps the grains separate.
    • Do not hurry the reduction; undercooked pulikachal tastes raw and sharp.

    Serve with

    Appalam, vadam and a cup of curd or curd rice.

  • Adai

    Adai is one of the oldest dosa-type dishes of Tamil Nadu, made from a mix of rice and lentils that is soaked and ground coarse, then cooked straight away without fermenting. Because it uses toor, chana, urad and moong dal, it is far more filling than a plain dosa, and many families make it for dinner when they want a one-dish meal.

    It has a slightly grainy, crisp exterior and a soft centre, with a savoury, spicy flavour from red chillies, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves. Adai is traditionally eaten with avial, which is why the pairing adai-avial is famous, or with jaggery and butter, a combination many Tamil grandparents swear by.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / toor dal / chana dal / urad dal / moong dal

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 1 cup raw rice (or half idli rice)
    • 1/4 cup toor dal
    • 1/4 cup chana dal
    • 2 tbsp urad dal
    • 2 tbsp moong dal
    • 4-5 dry red chillies
    • 1 inch ginger
    • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
    • 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
    • 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)

    For cooking

    • coconut oil or gingelly oil, about 1 tsp per adai

    Method

    1. Wash the rice and the dals together and soak in plenty of water for 3-4 hours. Soak the red chillies along with them.
    2. Drain, reserving a little soaking water. Grind the rice, dals, chillies and ginger with minimal water to a coarse batter, like fine rava. It should not be smooth.
    3. Transfer to a bowl and mix in salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, onion and coconut. The batter should be thick but pourable; add a few spoons of water if needed.
    4. Heat a cast-iron tawa on medium heat and grease it lightly.
    5. Pour a ladle of batter and spread it in a circle a little thicker than a regular dosa. Make a small hole in the centre with the ladle tip so heat reaches the middle.
    6. Drizzle 1 tsp oil around the edge and into the centre hole. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the base is golden brown and crisp.
    7. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes, then serve immediately.

    Tips

    • A coarse grind is the key to good adai; a smooth batter makes it heavy and dense.
    • Cook on medium, not high heat, as the dals need time to cook through.
    • The batter can be used straight away or kept for a few hours; it does not need to ferment.

    Serve with

    Avial, coconut chutney, or jaggery with a dollop of white butter.

  • Onion Uttapam

    Uttapam, or oothappam in Tamil, is the thicker cousin of the dosa. In many homes it is made on the last day of a batch of batter, when it has turned sour and thick and will no longer spread thin. Onion uttapam is the classic version found on every darshini and tiffin centre menu across South India.

    It is about the thickness of a pancake, soft and spongy inside with a golden, crisp base and a topping of onions that turn sweet and slightly charred where they touch the pan. The slight sourness of well-fermented batter is part of the appeal. It is eaten for breakfast or dinner with sambar and chutney.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time40 minutes
    Serves3
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsdosa batter / onion / green chillies / coriander

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 3 cups thick fermented dosa batter
    • salt to taste

    For the topping

    • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
    • 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
    • few curry leaves, chopped
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • oil or ghee for cooking

    Method

    1. Mix the onions, chillies, ginger, coriander, curry leaves and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Keep aside.
    2. Check the batter: it should be thick and pourable, thicker than for plain dosa. Add salt if needed.
    3. Heat a cast-iron tawa on medium heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water; when they sizzle away immediately, wipe the tawa with an oiled onion half or cloth.
    4. Pour a ladle of batter in the centre and spread it gently in a circle about 15 cm wide and 1 cm thick. Do not spread thin.
    5. Immediately sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of the onion mix on top and press it lightly into the batter with the back of the ladle.
    6. Drizzle 1 tsp oil around the edges and over the top. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until the top looks set and the base is golden brown.
    7. Flip carefully and cook the onion side for 2 minutes, pressing lightly, until the onions are browned in spots.
    8. Flip back, transfer to a plate and repeat. Lower the heat slightly between uttapams so the tawa does not overheat.

    Tips

    • Sour, 2-3 day old batter makes the softest and tastiest uttapam.
    • Covering while cooking helps the thick centre cook through without burning the base.
    • Grated carrot, chopped tomato or podi sprinkled on top are popular variations.

    Serve with

    Sambar, coconut chutney and tomato chutney, or a sprinkle of idli podi with gingelly oil.

  • Lemon Rice

    Elumichai sadam is one of the variety rices of Tamil Nadu, packed in tiffin boxes, carried on train journeys and offered at temples. It was designed to travel: the lemon and turmeric keep it fresh for hours at room temperature, and it tastes best when it has rested a while and the rice has soaked up the tempering.

    Each grain should be separate, bright yellow and glossy, with crunch from roasted peanuts and dals and a clean sourness from the lemon. It is never mushy. Families make it on busy mornings with leftover rice, and it is standard fare for festival days like Aadi Perukku, when several flavoured rices are cooked together.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegan
    CourseRice
    Prep time10 minutes
    Cook time10 minutes
    Total time20 minutes
    Serves3
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / lemon / peanuts / green chillies / curry leaves

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups cooked rice (from 1 cup raw sona masoori or ponni), cooled
    • 3 tbsp gingelly or groundnut oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp chana dal
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 3 tbsp raw peanuts
    • 2 green chillies, slit
    • 1 dry red chilli, broken
    • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
    • juice of 2 lemons (about 4 tbsp)
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

    Method

    1. Spread the cooked rice on a plate so it cools completely and the grains separate. Freshly cooked hot rice breaks and turns pasty.
    2. Heat oil in a wide kadai on medium heat. Fry the peanuts for 2-3 minutes until they crackle and the skins darken in spots; lift them out and keep aside.
    3. In the same oil add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chana dal and urad dal and fry for about 1 minute until golden.
    4. Add green chillies, red chilli, ginger and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds until the leaves are crisp.
    5. Lower the heat, add asafoetida and turmeric, stir for 5 seconds and immediately switch off the heat so the turmeric does not burn.
    6. Add the salt and lemon juice to the tempering off the heat and stir. Cooking lemon juice makes it bitter.
    7. Add the rice and peanuts and gently fold with a flat spatula until every grain is evenly yellow. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.
    8. Mix in coriander and let the rice rest for 15-20 minutes before serving for the flavours to settle.

    Tips

    • Always add lemon juice off the heat.
    • Day-old refrigerated rice works very well; bring it to room temperature first.
    • For temple style, skip ginger and add a pinch of fenugreek powder to the tempering.

    Serve with

    Potato fry, appalam and a cup of curd, or coconut chutney for a lunchbox.

  • Kuzhi Paniyaram

    Kuzhi paniyaram is closely associated with Chettinad and the Madurai region, where it is a standard evening tiffin. The name refers to the kuzhi, the round pits of the cast-iron pan in which the batter is cooked. Most homes make it with idli or dosa batter that has turned a little too sour, which makes it a clever way to use up leftovers.

    Each paniyaram is golden and crunchy on the outside and soft and spongy within, flecked with onion, green chilli, ginger and coconut. It is eaten hot as a snack or light dinner with chutneys. A sweet version made with jaggery and banana is equally popular, but the savoury kara paniyaram described here is the everyday one.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineChettinad
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time40 minutes
    Serves3
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsidli batter / onion / green chillies / coconut

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups thick idli or dosa batter (slightly sour is fine)
    • 2 tsp oil, plus about 4 tbsp for the pan
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 1 tsp chana dal
    • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
    • 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
    • 2 tbsp grated coconut
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
    • 1/4 tsp salt, if the batter needs it
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda (optional)

    Method

    1. Bring the batter to room temperature. It should be thick, like idli batter; if it is runny, stir in 1-2 tbsp rice flour.
    2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds, then fry urad dal and chana dal until golden. Add onion, chillies, ginger and curry leaves and saute for 2-3 minutes until the onion is translucent.
    3. Add this tempering, coconut and coriander to the batter. Check salt, add baking soda if the batter is not very fermented, and mix gently.
    4. Heat the paniyaram pan on medium heat and pour about 1/2 tsp oil into each pit. The pan is ready when a drop of batter sizzles immediately.
    5. Fill each pit about three-quarters full with batter. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until the edges are golden and the top looks set.
    6. Using a skewer or spoon handle, turn each paniyaram over, drizzle a few drops of oil around it and cook uncovered for another 2-3 minutes until the second side is golden and crisp.
    7. Lift them out onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, re-oiling the pits each time.

    Tips

    • A well-seasoned cast-iron paniyaram pan gives the crispest crust; nonstick works but browns less.
    • Keep the heat at medium-low, or the outside browns before the inside cooks through.
    • Batter that is 2-3 days old and slightly sour gives the best flavour.

    Serve with

    Coconut chutney, tomato kara chutney or Chettinad kara chutney with shallots.

  • Kara Kuzhambu

    Kara kuzhambu means spicy gravy, and it is the dish Tamil homes make when they want something bold without dal. It is built on tamarind, gingelly oil and a generous amount of chilli, and is cooked down until the oil floats on top. Because of the tamarind and oil it keeps for two or three days without refrigeration, so it was a practical dish in villages.

    Small onions and whole garlic cloves are the classic vegetables, often with brinjal, drumstick or ladies finger. The gravy is thick, glossy and sharply sour-hot, with sweetness from the shallots and a touch of jaggery. A small amount goes a long way, mixed into hot rice with a spoon of gingelly oil.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegan
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time45 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientstamarind / shallots / garlic / brinjal / gingelly oil

    Ingredients

    • lemon-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in 2 cups warm water
    • 4 tbsp gingelly oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 1 tsp chana dal
    • 2 dry red chillies
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 15 shallots, peeled
    • 12 garlic cloves, peeled
    • 3 small brinjals, quartered
    • 1 tomato, chopped
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 2 tbsp sambar powder
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
    • 1 tsp grated jaggery
    • 1 tsp rice flour mixed in 2 tbsp water (optional)

    Method

    1. Extract thick tamarind water from the soaked tamarind, about 2 cups, and strain.
    2. Heat gingelly oil in a clay pot or heavy kadai on medium heat. Add mustard seeds, and when they splutter add fenugreek, chana dal and red chillies. Fry until the fenugreek turns reddish brown, about 30 seconds, but not black.
    3. Add curry leaves, shallots and garlic and fry for 5-6 minutes until the shallots are soft and golden.
    4. Add the brinjal and fry for 3 minutes, then add tomato and cook until mushy.
    5. Lower the heat, add turmeric, sambar powder and chilli powder and stir for 1 minute so the spices roast in the oil without burning.
    6. Pour in the tamarind water, add salt and bring to a boil. Simmer on low-medium heat uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the brinjal is soft, the gravy thickens and oil separates and floats on top.
    7. Stir in jaggery. If the gravy is still thin, add the rice flour slurry and simmer 2 minutes more.
    8. Rest for at least 30 minutes before serving; kara kuzhambu tastes better a few hours later.

    Tips

    • Gingelly oil is essential for the authentic taste; groundnut oil is the only reasonable substitute.
    • Do not rush the simmering; the raw tamarind taste must cook out completely.
    • Sun-dried sundakkai or manathakkali vathal fried in the oil at the start turns this into vatha kuzhambu.

    Serve with

    Hot rice with a spoon of gingelly oil, appalam and keerai poriyal or a mild kootu.

  • Beans Poriyal

    Poriyal is the generic Tamil word for a dry vegetable stir-fry, and beans poriyal is one of the most common on a weekday lunch plate. It is light, not oily, and relies on the freshness of the beans and a handful of grated coconut rather than spice powders. The same method works for cabbage, carrot or cluster beans.

    The beans are chopped very fine so they cook quickly and stay bright green with a slight bite. The tempering of urad dal adds a nutty crunch, and coconut gives sweetness. It is a side dish rather than a main, served alongside sambar or rasam with rice, and it travels well in a lunchbox.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegan
    CourseSide dish
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time12 minutes
    Total time27 minutes
    Serves3
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsfrench beans / coconut / urad dal / curry leaves

    Ingredients

    • 250 g French beans, strings removed, chopped into 5 mm pieces
    • 1 tbsp coconut oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 1 dry red chilli, broken
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • pinch of asafoetida
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
    • 3 tbsp water
    • 1/3 cup freshly grated coconut

    Method

    1. Wash the beans before chopping, not after, so they do not get waterlogged. Chop them finely and evenly.
    2. Heat coconut oil in a kadai on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter fully.
    3. Add urad dal and red chilli and fry until the dal turns golden, about 40 seconds. Add curry leaves and asafoetida.
    4. Add the beans, turmeric and salt and toss for 1 minute to coat in the oil.
    5. Sprinkle 3 tbsp water, cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring once, until the beans are tender but still green with a slight crunch.
    6. Uncover and cook for another minute on medium heat to dry off any remaining water.
    7. Switch off the heat, add the grated coconut and toss well. Serve warm.

    Tips

    • Add coconut only after switching off the heat, otherwise it dries out and loses its sweetness.
    • Do not add too much water; the beans should steam, not boil.
    • A tablespoon of soaked moong dal cooked along with the beans makes a more filling version.

    Serve with

    Rice with sambar, rasam or mor kuzhambu.