Avarekalu Saaru | Avarekalu Huli
Avarekalu Saaru or Avrekalu Huli is a winter delicacy made with cooked hyacinth beans in a delicious gravy made from coconut, coriander and red chillies.
Ingredients
To Prep
- 250 g Avarekalu with or without skin
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
For the masala
- 3-4 Dried Red chillies adjust according to taste
- 2 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Jeera
- ½ tsp Methi seeds
- 3 tbsp Grated coconut
- 1 Tomato
- Tamarind small piece (optional)
For the main dish
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil (groundnut oil)
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- 2 sprigs Curry Leaves
Instructions
- The first step is to cook the avarekalu. Add the shelled beans into a container with water and add a pinch of turmeric powder. Place it in a pressure cooker with an inch of water in it. Close the lid and allow for 2-3 whistles. You do not need more than that to cook avarekalu.
- While the pressure of the cooker is coming down, prepare the base masala.
- Place a small pan on low-medium heat, and add the coriander seeds, methi seeds and jeera. Roast until you get the aroma of the spices. Once done, transfer it to a plate.Now add the dried red chillies and roast them until crisp. Turn off the heat and transfer the chillies to the same plate. Allow the ingredients to cool down.
- Once cooled, add the roasted ingredients to a mixer jar. Now add the grated coconut, tomato and tamarind (if using) as well. Now, take out the cooked avarekalu from the cooker and add 2-3 tbsp of the cooked avarekalu to the mixer jar. This will help thicken the masala while grinding. Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste. Add some water if the masala gets too dry. The ground masala must be a thick paste.
- Now, place a deep pan or pot on a low or medium flame. Add a tablespoon of groundnut oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustards seeds and let it sputter.Next, add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
- You can now add the coconut masala to the pan. Add half a cup of water. Give it a mix.
- If you are eating it with rice, you will need a relatively thinner gravy texture. So adjust the water accordingly. If you are eating the saaru with chapathi or dosa, you can keep the gravy slightly thicker. Add ½ tsp salt and mix well. Allow the gravy to simmer on a low flame for 7-8 minutes. Keep stirring in between to ensure the gravy does not stick to the bottom.
- Once the raw smell of the spices goes away, add only the cooked Avarekalu to the gravy. If you see that the gravy has thickened, you can add the water that the beans have cooked in.
- Allow it to simmer for a two - three minutes and turn off the heat. Your Avarekalu saaru is ready to be eaten with rice, roti or dosa.