Pole Beans Paruppu Usili - Lentil Dry Curry

A traditional dish. It is usually paired with morkuzhambu or vethakuzhambu. Since the gravies dont have any lentils in them, this is for the protein content that you will need in your diet!

To make 6 to 8 servings

You need

To soak

Toor Dal (split Pigeon peas) - 1 and 1/2 cups

Channa Dal (split Chick peas) - 1/2 cup

Green Chili-1

Red chili-2

Soak the above ingredients in water for atleast 2 hours, water should cover the dals.

To Cook

Pole Beans - chopped finely about 4 cups (Steam the beans as we did for the pole beans curry.)

Oil- 4 teaspoons

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoons

Curry leaves - 1 strand

Hing or Asafoetida - 2 pinches

Method

--->After 2 hours, take out the water, and grind the lentils, along with the chillies and some salt, to a coarse consistency. Use as less water as possible.

--->In a pan, add the oil and the mustard seeds (medium fire)

--->Once the seeds start sputtering, add the hing and curry leaves, add the ground dal, slowly mix it

---> Keep the flame on medium and keep stirring occasionally

--->In 10 minutes, you will see the dal will start to get hard, at theat time, pound it as you would mash Pav Bhaji so it will not form clumps.

--->In the next 10 minutes, the dal should be cooked and get seperated as a result of your pounding! and now add the beans and keep the fire to a low and cover and let it blend

Make sure, the fore is low, so it will not get burnt.

--->Garnish with fresh curry leaves.

Pole Beans Curry

You can make this with French Beans or Pole Beans or Cabbage (cut like cole slaw).


Pole Beans are high in fiber. Also when you cut beans, do not cut the end of it (the one which tapers) since all the vitamins are there.

This makes 5 to 6 Servings.
Items
Beans - Cut about 3 cups
Oil - 1 Tea Spoon
Salt - 1 Tea Spoon
Sugar 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - ½ Tea Spoon
Mustard Seeds - ½ Tea Spoon
Urad Dal - 2 Tea Spoon
Red Chili - 1
Curry leaves and Corainder
Method
-->Cut the beans and add them in a pan, add very little water, add the salt and sugar and turmeric powder and cover and keep the stove in a medium flame.
Adding the sugar to the beans, retains the green color.
--> Check the beans every 5 mins to make sure they dont get burnt and add some water if you need to. Steam till the beans are soft.
-->Once the beans are cooked, in a seperate pan, add the oil, and once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, and once they start to sputter, add the urad dal to it and saute till they get golden brown.
-->Garnish with Curry leaves and Coriander Leaves

Options
You can add fresh ground coconut to this also.