A - Z Karnataka Cuisine ~ F for Field Beans Payasa / Avarekaalu Payasa
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
Finding a 'F' dish with a Kannada name is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are practically no recipes that begin with 'F' sound and I had no choice other than to resort to using an English name. Even the south Indian favorite Filter coffee that has been so entwined in the morning routine of millions of households cannot be claimed as a Kannada word. Recipes involving menthya - fenugreek in seeds or greens form, agase - flax seeds were some of the choices I had. And then I remembered avarekalu, the beloved winter beans of Kannadigas also can be called as field beans / hyacinth beans and that's what is the star of today's paayasa aka kheer.
Avarekaalu or field beans is a winter crop and the markets in the Bangalore region are flooded with it during the season. My mother was mentioning that nowadays there is no seasonal limit as they are available year round. The quality however is superior during the winter season, she thinks. I am not sure about it but I got hold of some peeled beans during the month of August at V.V.Puram tindi beedhi during my last India visit.
The stores did not carry peeled beans while we were growing up and trust me, peeling these avarekaalu is a chore. It used to be a family activity during evenings in many households especially when one has loads of beans on their hands. One need to separate the beans from the pods initially, being careful to check for the worms that may be lurking in some of the pods. The separated beans then get soaked in water for a few hours and again the thin, transparent covering over the beans are removed by squeezing in between one's thumb and forefinger. The beans need to be used immediately or need to be refrigerated since they go stale quickly. Freezing is a better option over refrigeration if there are no power cuts that happen to be a frequent occurrence in India. Nowadays one can find the ready to use, shelled beans which is an obviously an easier option.
Avarekaalu paayasa is one of the traditional kheer recipes from the state of Karnataka though not well known as much as the gasagase payasa or the poppy seeds kheer in the online world. Though the use of field beans in a sweet dish may sound unusual and even downright weird to some but trust me, it tastes delicious. Mostly people associate avarekaaalu with the local spicy curry preparations or throw a few in while making breakfast dishes like, rotti, dose, uppittu or make a chivda kind of snack. Trust me, try this if you can get hold of avarekaalu aka fresh field beans or hyacinth beans and you will be hooked.
This paayasa has a pudding consistency and milk is not used in this preparation. The peeled beans are cooked and then simmered along with a coconut - poppy seed paste and jaggery. The addition of cardamom brightly flavors the payasa and the toasted cashews and raisins add a nice contrast to the smooth consistency of the payasa. Skip ghee from the recipe if vegan and add the cashews and raisins directly to the payasa at the final stages of cooking. Or they can be toasted in any flavorless oil. Add the cashews and raisins and skip adding the oil.
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh field beans / avarekaalu /
1/2 cup shredded coconut / kobbari
1 to 1.5 tbsp. white poppy seeds / gasagase
1/2 to 3/4 cup jaggery / bella
2 cardamoms / elakki
1 tbsp. ghee / thuppa
1 tbsp. cashews / godambi
1 tbsp. raisins / ona drakshi
Directions:
* Rinse and add avarekaalu to a container, Add enough water to top the beans and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.
* Mean while, grind the coconut and poppy seeds to a paste adding water as needed.
* Grind the cardamom seeds finely and keep aside.
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the cooker lid. Grind the beans into a smooth / coarse paste along with the water used to cook. Add extra water if needed. Grinding step is optional and I did according to my mother's recipe as I did not want to see all beans in my payasa. I left a few whole though. The cooked beans can directly be used in the next step if one doesn't mind their texture in the payasa.
* Heat a pot, preferably a non stick one and add jaggery and 1/4 cup of water.
* Let the jaggery melt. There is no need to form a syrup. If the jaggery being used is not clean, strain the jaggery water and use it. (My jaggery was clean and I didn't have to do it.)
* Next add coconut - poppy seeds paste and cardamom. Simmer for a couple of minutes. (One can add cardamom at the final stages of cooking as well.)
* Now add the cooked avarekaalu or the ground paste to the pan.
* Stir well and add water as needed. The payasa gets thicker once it cools down and further thickens if refrigerated and so add water to the payasa accordingly. I haven't provided the water quantity but one can gauge the situation as the cooking progresses and can add water as needed. Let it cook on low flame for about 15 to 20 minutes. If the avarekaalu was added directly, lightly mash them with the back of the ladle. Keep stirring the mixture in between, especially if not using a non stick pan to avoid the payasa burning at the bottom.
* Heat a small pan and add ghee. When it melts, add cashews and raisins. Toast them until cashews turn golden brown and raisins turn plump.
* Add the toasted cashews and raisins to payasa and mix well. The payasa can be served warm or chilled as well.
Notes:
1. I don't get avarekaalu locally and used frozen surti papdi lilva in this recipe though I am not 100% sure that avaraekaalu and papdi are one and the same. Avarekaalu are not that vividly green as the frozen papdi lilva and are bigger in size. This is how avarekaalu looks like.
2. Jaggery quantity depends upon the sweetness of the jaggery being used and can be increased or decreased according to one's taste.
3. Fresh or frozen coconut can be used but not the dried or the desiccated variety. Thaw the coconut if using frozen variety.
4. Grinding the cooked avarekaalu is optional but recommended.
1 cup fresh field beans / avarekaalu /
1/2 cup shredded coconut / kobbari
1 to 1.5 tbsp. white poppy seeds / gasagase
1/2 to 3/4 cup jaggery / bella
2 cardamoms / elakki
1 tbsp. ghee / thuppa
1 tbsp. cashews / godambi
1 tbsp. raisins / ona drakshi
Directions:
* Rinse and add avarekaalu to a container, Add enough water to top the beans and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.
* Mean while, grind the coconut and poppy seeds to a paste adding water as needed.
* Grind the cardamom seeds finely and keep aside.
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the cooker lid. Grind the beans into a smooth / coarse paste along with the water used to cook. Add extra water if needed. Grinding step is optional and I did according to my mother's recipe as I did not want to see all beans in my payasa. I left a few whole though. The cooked beans can directly be used in the next step if one doesn't mind their texture in the payasa.
* Heat a pot, preferably a non stick one and add jaggery and 1/4 cup of water.
* Let the jaggery melt. There is no need to form a syrup. If the jaggery being used is not clean, strain the jaggery water and use it. (My jaggery was clean and I didn't have to do it.)
* Next add coconut - poppy seeds paste and cardamom. Simmer for a couple of minutes. (One can add cardamom at the final stages of cooking as well.)
* Now add the cooked avarekaalu or the ground paste to the pan.
* Stir well and add water as needed. The payasa gets thicker once it cools down and further thickens if refrigerated and so add water to the payasa accordingly. I haven't provided the water quantity but one can gauge the situation as the cooking progresses and can add water as needed. Let it cook on low flame for about 15 to 20 minutes. If the avarekaalu was added directly, lightly mash them with the back of the ladle. Keep stirring the mixture in between, especially if not using a non stick pan to avoid the payasa burning at the bottom.
* Heat a small pan and add ghee. When it melts, add cashews and raisins. Toast them until cashews turn golden brown and raisins turn plump.
* Add the toasted cashews and raisins to payasa and mix well. The payasa can be served warm or chilled as well.
Notes:
1. I don't get avarekaalu locally and used frozen surti papdi lilva in this recipe though I am not 100% sure that avaraekaalu and papdi are one and the same. Avarekaalu are not that vividly green as the frozen papdi lilva and are bigger in size. This is how avarekaalu looks like.
2. Jaggery quantity depends upon the sweetness of the jaggery being used and can be increased or decreased according to one's taste.
3. Fresh or frozen coconut can be used but not the dried or the desiccated variety. Thaw the coconut if using frozen variety.
4. Grinding the cooked avarekaalu is optional but recommended.
4 comments:
Oh wow, this is a gem Suma, I never knew there is a payasam with these beans, but then that's obvious, I must have known. We are so fond of the pithinika pappu dishes and I am the one who spends all the time popping out the beans with both hands during the season. This year, unfortunately, we are yet to make. This payasam is bookmarked!
Never heard of making payasam with beans Suma, it's such an interesting dish. Colour and texture of the payasam is really inviting.
Amazing payasam. I have very little experience with the peeling of these beans but I have seen my aunt (wife of Dr MKJ Sarma garu) and her family getting loads of these beans from Madanapalle and peeling.
very interesting payasam recipe with avarakelu. Never would have thought about it.
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