BEANS PARUPPU USILI / BEANS WITH MOONG DAL CURRY

      Beans Paruppu Usili is a traditional South Indian dish which is a combination of green beans and yellow moong dal. Instead of making regular vegetable stir fry, add some dal to it, it not only enhances the taste but also good for health. This delicious and healthy dry curry goes well with any variety rice or puli kulambhu. You can use different vegetables like cluster beans, carrot, cabbage etc just by following the same recipe.

    Ingredients

            1 and 1/4 Cup of Chopped Green Beans
3 Tbsp of Yellow Moong Dal
            1/4 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
            1 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder
            1 Tbsp of Milk
Salt to taste

    To Temper

             2 Tsp of Oil
             1 Tsp of Mustard
             1 Tsp of Urad Dal
   2 Tbsp of Chopped Onion

   Method

Wash and finely chop the green beans into small pieces.
Cook yellow moong dal in microwave for 10 mins by adding enough water.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and urad dal, after they splutter, add chopped onion, saute this for 1-2 mins.
In a medium flame, add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, saute this for 30 secs.
Immediately add the chopped green beans, mix well with masala, add salt and saute this for a min. Cover the pan with a lid and cook it for 5 mins in a medium flame by adding little water.
Add some milk and cook for a min.
Finally add cooked moong dal to the green beans and saute it for a min and then switch off the stove.
Beans paruppu usili is ready.

Tips

Adding milk is optional.
You can also add ginger garlic paste, if you want.
Moong dal can be replaced with some other dal.
You can add turmeric and red chilly powder directly to oil or after the addition of green beans.

Health Benefits of Green Beans with Moong Dal

Moong dal provide great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber and protein. Also, they are an excellent source of molybdenum and folic acid. They provide a good nutrition for diet people since they are low in fat. Also it promotes heart health.
Green Beans are low in calories, rich in vitamins, dietary fiber and folate.

AVARAKKAI MA AVARAI PORIYAL / DRY BROAD & LIMA BEANS CURRY- SIDE DISH RECIPES

           This recipe is the combination of broad and lima beans. Both are rich in cholesterol lowering fibers, nutrients like potassium, vitamins and rich in protein. On the whole, this curry is very good for health. This dish is very easy to make with simple ingredients which gives a awesome taste. This can be served with sambhar rice or rasam rice or chapathi.

   Ingredients

   Steam Cook

        2/3 Cup of Broad Beans / Avarakkai, Chopped
        1/2 Cup of Frozen Lima Beans / Ma Avarai
1/2 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
1 Tsp of Sambhar Powder
Salt to taste
Water as needed (~1/2 Cup)

   To Temper

2 Tsp of Oil
1 Tsp of Mustard
1 Tsp of Urad Dal
1/4 Cup of Chopped Onion
Few Curry Leaves
2 Tsp of Coconut Flakes

   Method

Wash, trim the ends and remove the veins on either side of the broad beans. Chop them into pieces.

Steam Cook

In a pan, add water, broad beans, lima beans, sambhar powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cover pan with a lid and cook it in medium- high flame for 5 – 7 mins until the veggie’s turn soft. Check regularly make sure you should not overcook the veggies. Once it done, switch off the stove.

Tempering

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves, after they splutter, add chopped onion, saute for 1-2 mins until they turn golden brown.
Add cooked broad & lima beans, saute for a min.
Finally add coconut, mix well. Adjust the salt to taste and switch off the stove.
Broad & lima beans curry is ready to serve.
Serve this dish with chapathi or sambhar rice or rasam rice.

Tips

You can add ginger- garlic paste and tomato to this curry, if you prefer.
You can also add roasted peanut powder, for nice flavor to this curry.
Don’t overcook the veggie’s and don’t add too much of water, while you steam cook.

Health Benefits Broad Beans

Broad beans are rich in L-dopa, an amino acid that is instrumental in the creation of dopamine, a substance that is critical for the pituitary gland’s production of human growth hormone.

They are rich in fiber, iron, folate and potassium.

Lima Beans

Rich in protein and fiber.
Rich in anti-oxidants, iron, molybdenum and magnesium.
Good for cardio, digestive tract and bone strength.

BHINDI MASALA / OKRA MASALA / LADY’S FINGER MASALA – SIDE DISH RECIPE FOR CHAPATHI

The worldwide used versatile vegetable called Okra or Lady’s Finger or Bhindi. Their nutritional benefits are numerous, as they are rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. In this dish the spices brings out the flavour to the okra while dried mango powder gives tangy taste. This dish is one of the popular restarunant menu, it taste great to eat with chapathi, paratha or rice

Ingredients

12-15 Lady’s Finger, Small Size

2 Green Chillies, Cut into lengthwise

1/4 Tsp of Turmeric powder

1/4 Tsp of Saunf Powder or Fennel Powder

2 Tsp of Coriander Powder

1 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder

1/4 Tsp of Garam masala

1/4 Tsp of Dry Mango Powder (Amchur Powder )

1/2 Tsp of Dried Fenugreek Leaves or Kasoori Methi

Cilantro or Coriander Leaves to garnish.

Salt to taste

To Temper

2 Tbsp of Oil

1 Tsp of Mustard

1 Tsp of Cumin or Jeera

Pinch of Asafoetida or Hing

Few Curry Leaves

Method

Wash the lady’s fingers in cold tap water and wipe it with towel or paper towel and dry it for 10 mins.
Chop the top and bottom part of the lady’s finger, then cut in lengthwise into two parts. Cut all the others in the same manner.
Heat oil in a pan and saute lady’s finger for 3 mins in medium – high flame until brown and remove from pan and keep it aside.
In the same pan, heat some oil, add mustard, cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves, fry until it turns golden brown.
In a medium flame, add turmeric powder, saunf powder, coriander powder, red chilly powder, green chillies and lady fingers, fry and mix it well with the masala. Cook for 2 – 3 mins.
Add amchur or dry mango powder, salt and garam masala to the pan and saute it well with the lady fingers. Stir the masala continuously for 2-3 minutes. Then cover the pan with a lid and cook it for another 2 minutes.
Open the lid, add kasoori methi, mix well with the lady’s finger and cook for another 2 minutes.
Finally garnish it with coriander leaves.
Bhindi Masala is ready to eat.

Tips

Serve it with hot chapati, parantha or Rice
You can add chopped onions, tomatoes and ginger garlic paste, to get extra gravy but different taste.
Don’t add amchur powder when you are adding tomato because both are tangy in taste.
Adding kasoori methi makes twist to the dish.
No onion no garlic recipe.

Health Benefits of Lady’s Finger or Okra

Low calorie vegetable.
Rich source of viamin A,C,K and folates.
Excellent source of dietary fiber.
Ideal vegetable for weight loss.