Cluster Beans Usili

Ingredients

  • Cluster Beans – Cut into small pieces 1 big bowl
  • Thuvar dal – 1/2 cup
  • Bengal gram dal – 1/2 cup
  • Red chillies – 2 to 3 Nos
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Sambar Powder – 1 teaspoon
  • A pinch of asafetida
  • Coconut gratings – two tablespoons (optional)
  • Oil – 1 tablespoon
  • Mustard – 1 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves few
  • Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste

Soak both the dals for two hours. Drain the water and grind alongwith chillies, asafetida and salt to a coarse paste (like vadai dough). Grease idli plate and put the paste into that and steam it like idli for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove it and cool it. Break it by your fingers into tiny bits.
Put cluster beans pieces in a vessel and add sambar powder, turmeric powder and little salt along with enough water to cover the vegetable. Cook on medium flame till it is soft. Drain the excess water and keep aside.
In a kadai put the oil. When it is hot add mustard. When it pops up add curry leaves and then add cooked dhal and fry for a while. Then add cooked vegetable and fry for one minute. Then add coconut gratings and mix well. Keep it stove for one more minute and remove.
Note: You can make vegetable Usili using beans, cabbage or plantain flower. You can also make plain dhal Usili without any vegetable.

5 Comments

  1. Savitharajsspiceland

    Nice Recipe!

  2. Thank You Madam, Have been longing for this recipe quite a while.

  3. Hi MJ,

    Thank you for visiting. Please post your feed back on this recipe.

  4. Dear Madam,

    The photos in your web site are very good. When we cook Beans and avarai it looses its bright green colour. But in your photos it looks green. Can you please tell me how to maintain the colour of the cooked vegetable.

    Gomathi

  5. Hi Gomathi,

    If we overcook the vegetable, it loses its colour. Cluster beans, I first cook it with very little water without adding anything. Then drain off the excess water if any. And then season it with other ingredients.

    Other vegetables like fresh beans and avaraikai, I add a pinch of turmeric, little sambar powder and salt and sprinkle only a handful of water and cook only for few minutes. Then it will retain its colour. Microwaving the vegetable will also help to retain the colour of the vegetables.

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