Beans Koora & Palakoora Pappu

Here is a typical Andhra style lunchbox for day 6 of BM#10. Though I don't pack a desi style lunchbox to any of the family members, I do cook a dal and subzi most of the days. I therefore thought why not a pack a lunch in the 3 boxed tiffin carrier (that's what we call them) at least for the blog sake with my most favorite food. :) And so here we go with a spinach dal from Andhra and beans curry. I had carried a few similar lunchboxes all the way from India, from my mother's collection. My daughter who had never seen a 3 step lunchbox got excited and had her lunch from the box, at home of course. :)

Beans Koora / Beans Curry:

Call it koora, palya, thoran or poriyal depending upon where you live, the basic vegetable preparation from South India goes on similar lines. A vegetable is stir fried along with a seasoning and fresh, grated coconut is added at the end.
Ingredients:
For popu / tadka: 1 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp of chanadal / Bengal gram, 1 tsp urad dal / split black gram, 1 tsp cumin seeds, few curry leaves, a pinch of turmeric powder, 6 red dried chillies
3 cups chopped beans
2 - 3 Tbsp grated, fresh coconut
1.5 tsp salt

Cooking:
Heat oil in a saute pan and add all the tadka ingredients. When mustard seeds start popping and chanadal starts turning golden brown, add the veggies and salt. Cook covered on low flame and keep stirring in between until the beans are done. Then add the coconut and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes more and turn off the heat. Serve warm with steamed rice / rotis.

Palakoora Pappu / Andhra style Spinach Dal:
Ingredients: (8 - 10 servings)

1.5 cup toordal

10 oz frozen spinach / leaves from a fresh bunch of spinach

2 onions, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup thick tamarind juice

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp salt or to taste

For tadka: 2 -3 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida powder and few curry leaves

Method:

* Cook toordal along with vegetables and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker / sauce pan adding water as needed and keep aside. Remember that the final dish should be not runny like sambhar

* Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add asafoetida, and curry leaves.

* Next add the cooked dal, tamarind, chili powder and salt to the tadka and mix well. Cook for a few minutes so that all the flavors mingle and turn off the stove.

* Serve with hot rice and ghee.

This goes to Susan's MLLA, guesthosted this month by Simona.

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