Beans paruppu usili

Sunday and paruppu usili just go with each other so well, as to ice-cream and indulgence. Any south indian vegetarian would devour paruppu usili which is a side dish preparation usually had with vethakozhambhu rice or morkozhambhu rice. This side-dish is not light on the tummy, so  we do not make any other side-dish along with it . We either deep fry appalams or vadaams/vathals to be had as luxury meals :) . In my husband's side of the family or my side of the family for that matter, we begin our meal by directly mixing this paruppu usili with rice/saadham and ghee (called paruppu usili saadham) and we will have vetha kozhambhu/morkozhambhu and appalam/vadaam/vathal as side dish for that. Then we proceed on to have vethakozhambhu rice/ morkozhambhu rice making this as the side dish.

Paruppu usili

Ingredients

Beans                                    250 gms
Toor dhal                               1 and 1/4 cup
Red chillies                            5 - 6 nos as per spice level
Salt                                        As needed
Asafoetida                              2-3  pinches
Curry leaves                           2 sprigs
Oil                                         3 - 4 tblspns
Mustard seeds                         1/2 tsp

Method

1. Soak toor dhal for 20 mins in water
2. Grind it along with red chillies, salt, asafoetida ( 1 pinch), curry leaves and a portioon of salt for paruppu usili to a coarse paste by adding  very little water.
3. Divide it into portions and fill it in idli plates.
4. Pressure cook it when you pressure cook rice and other stuff for that day's samayal.
5. Simultaneously wash and cut french beans as small as possible.
6. Take a stir fry pan, add 1.5 cups of water and add beans. Let it boil and cook for 10-15 mins until beans is cooked and soft. Add a portion of salt for beans.
7. Let it cook for 3-4 mins further and drain excess water.
8. Take the paruppu usili adais out of the idli plates and let it cool by cutting it to pieces. After it is cooled, semi-powder either in a mixie or by mashing it between your fingers.
9. Heat a stir fry pan, add 2 tblspns of oil, add mustard seeds to splutter. Bring heat to low. Add remaining asafoetida and the semi-powdered paruppu usili. Mix well uniformly. Bring the heat to medium. Leave it for 2 mins.
10. Mix well again and leave it for 2 mins. Add the cooked drained beans and mix well. At this point add another tblspn of oil and mix well and leave it on the stove for 5 mins, mixing well every minute.
11. Add another tblspn of oil ( only if necessary), mix well and let it cook for 5 more minutes, mixing well in-between.
12. Switch off the stove and beans paruppu usili is ready to  be served with vethakozhambhu rice or morkozhambu rice.