Ingredients:
250 gms. french beans (flas beans)
1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (raai)
1 tsp black gram split (urad dal)
2 red chillies whole
8-10 curry leaves (kari patta)
4-5 tblsp gingelly oil (tel)
salt (namak) to taste
for dal paste
1/4 cup bengal gram (chana) split
2 tblsp black gram split (urad dal)
1/4 cup pigeon pea split (arhar dal)
2 tblsp green gram split (moong dal)
6 red chillies whole
1/4 tsp asafoetida
salt (namak) to taste
How to make paruppu usili with green beans:
- Wash, string and cut French beans into half centimeter sized dices. Cook beans in salted boiling water for two to three minutes. Drain well and reserve. Wash, remove stems and finely chop green chillies.
- Soak all the dals for about twenty minutes. Drain and grind to a thick paste with dry red chillies, salt and asafoetida powder. Add water if required.
- Apply a little oil on a piece of banana leaf according to the size of the steamer or the pressure cooker. Spread dal paste evenly on it and steam in a cooker for fifteen minutes or till cooked. Insert a toothpick or needle into the dal mixture and if it comes out clean then it is cooked.
- Turn out cooked dal on a large plate and cool. Crumble cooked dal to a coarse powder with your palm and fingers. If dal is quite dry and solid, then you can blend it briefly in a food processor to crumble.
- Heat oil in a shallow pan, temper with mustard seeds, red chillies, urad dal and curry leaves.
- Stir-fry briefly and add chopped green chillies.
- Add the cooked beans and crumbled dal mixture. Toss on high heat for a two to three minutes. Reduce heat and cook, stirring frequently for five to six minutes or till the beans and dal start sizzling.
- Adjust seasoning and serve hot.