Asparagus Moongdal kootu

Asparagus Moongdal kootu

Asparagus....I am sure lot of us do not like this veggie. I have been using this in our cooking for the past few years. I generally make dry veggie with this...a lot while making pasta too. My mom has nick named it as keerai thandu! One of my friend recently passed a tip about the goodness of asparagus for nursing moms.
I have tried making stir fry and it comes out good. Since the day my mom mentioned it as keerai thandu (stem of green leaf mainly we make it with amaranth leaves) I have been thinking of making moongdal kootu with it. It came out really well. I like asparagus when made as kootu since the crunchiness is gone while steaming it tastes more like beans.

The recipe for making keerai thandu..oops....asparagus  kootu.

Ingredients:

asparagus                       - 1 bunch
 Moong dhal /green gram-1/4 cup heaped
onion                              -1/4 cup finely chopped
whole red chilies            -6
sambar powder               -1/4 tsp
salt                                  -to taste

for tempering:

mustard seeds                   -1/4 sp
urad dhal/split black gram-1/4 tsp
cumin seeds                      -1/4 tsp
curry leaves                      -few
hing                                   -pinch
turmeric                            -pinch

Method:

• 

  Asparagus Moongdal kootu

  In pressure cooker  cook  moong dhal for 1 whistle adding 3/4 cup water

• Cut the hard edge of the asparagus.then chop it into roundels
• After the pressure goes off open the cooker and add the chopped asparagus and pressure cook again for a whistle.

• Now heat oil in a pan and allow mustard seeds to splutter.Add urad dhal, cumin seeds,hing,red chillies,curry leaves .

• Add onion ,salt,sambar powder and fry until transparent.

• Add the pressure cooked asparagus & dhal to it and cook for another  minutes.

• Serve as side dish for  Rice or chapathi

Asparagus Coconut Thoran and Beans Sambar

Asparagus Stirfry,Cauliflower Pepperfry, Potato Podimas,Beans sambar,Instant bonda

Asparagus is a vegetable with lots of nutritional and medicinal properties. As usual I started cooking with this vegetable with a thoran recipe. It turned out to be a delicious and nutritious side dish with rice.

White asparagus spears- 500 gms, cleaned

Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp or more

Green chillies- 3, slit lengthwise

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds- 2 tsp

Salt- to taste

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Curry leaves- a sprig (optional)

Cut and discard the woody base and chop the asparagus heads into small pieces.

Crush the coconut, green chillies, turmeric powder and cumin seeds together to a coarse mix, either with your hands or with a pestle and mortar.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds. 

Add the coarse coconut mix and the curry leaves (if any) at this stage. Sauté for a few seconds on medium heat, but make sure you don't burn them.

Add the chopped asparagus heads and salt. Stir well, making sure the coconut mix and the asparagus is combined evenly.

Close the lid and cook on medium heat, stirring in between and if it sticks to the bottom, pour about a tsp water.

The thoran should be ready in about 12 to 15 minutes.

 

Beans Sambar Recipe:

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor Dal (Wash and soak for about half an hour in water)
• Chopped beans.
• One lemon sized (medium) tamarind.
• 2 lemons sized (medium) jaggery.
• Turmeric powder
• Sambar powder
• Hing
• Salt (as per taste).
• Coriander leaves and curry leaves.

Method

Beans Sambar

• Cook the chopped beans and soaked dal with some water in the pressure cooker and keep aside.
• Now, to a bowl of warm water soak tamarind. After about 3-4 minutes, squeeze the tamarind and extract it. Remove all the hard non-dissolvable tamarind particles. So, now tamarind water is left.
• To a vessel, add tamarind water and jaggery and heat.
• When the tamarind water comes to boil state, add turmeric and all of the boiled beans and dal.
• Add hing and lower the flame and allow it for about 5 minutes.
• Then, add sambar powder and salt and boil some more.
• Finally add the coriander leaves and curry leaves for the added aroma.

Beans Sambar with the mixture of all possible tastes is done in the Udupi traditional way.