Beans Paruppu Usili

Paruppu usili is a traditional south indian dish prepared with the goodness of dals. The dish is usually prepared using vegetables like french beans, cluster beans, cabbage, plantain flower. You can make this dish when you have less quantity of these vegetables. Since we include dal in this, it goes well with any kuzhambu or rasam variety without dal. This includes mor kuzhambu, vathal kuzhambu, kara kuzhambu or a simple rasam.  My mother and aunty used to prepare this as an accompaniment for mor kuzhambu or vathal kuzhambu at least once or twice a month.

Beans Paruppu Usili Recipe

Serves  :  3 - 4 people

Ingredients

• Beans  -  100 to 150 g
• Gingelly oil  -  1/2 tbsp
• Mustard  -  1 tsp
• Curry leaves  -  a sprig
• Asafoetida  -  a generous pinch
• Salt  -  as required
• Turmeric powder  -  a pinch

To grind

• Toor dal  -  1/4 cup
• Channa dal  -  1/4 cup
• Red chilly(long variety)  -  3
• Asafoetida  -  a generous pinch
• Salt  -  as required

Method

1. Wash and soak both the dals in water for 1 hour. If you want to prepare in less time, soak in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile wash and chop the beans finely. Pressure cook by adding a pinch of salt, turmeric powder and little water for 2 to 3 whistles.
3. Drain the water from soaked dal completely and grind the dals with red chillies without adding water. It will be a coarse paste. Add little salt and asafoetida at the end and grind it once.
4. Make small patties out of the dal mixture and steam them in idli plates for 5 to 7 minutes. Make a hole in the centre of the patties for proper steaming.
5. Check with a fork and if it comes out clean, remove the steamed dal and allow it to cool down a bit.
6. Crumble the dal mixture with your hands or quickly put in mixie jar and use the whip mode for even crumbling.
7. In a pan, add oil and once heated add mustard and asafoetida. Once mustard crackles, add the curry leaves.
8. Add the cooked beans along with the water for few minutes and cook till the moisture content is removed. If preferred, you can also drain the cooked water and add the vegetable directly.
9. Once there is no moisture content, add the crumbled dal mixture and mix everything well.
10. Check for salt and add if required.
11. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes till everything blends well. Switch off the stove.
12. Serve as a side dish for a simple kuzhambu or rasam variety. We had with garlic rasam.

Notes

• Since we are adding salt at two stages -  while cooking beans and for dal mixture, adjust and add as required.
• Do not add water while grinding dal as it will become soggy and will be difficult to steam.