Avarekkai poricha kozhambu/Broad Beans Kozhambu

                                                                      Avarekkai or Broad beans is a climber which could be grown in a small place like our backyard.I remember in my aunts house they used to grow it the back yard and pluck it fresh for the cooking.Though it is not a favourite vegetable in my house I make it as a south Indian gravy called Poricha Kozhambu.

                                                  I boil the vegetable in tamarind water with salt and then combine some cooked dhal and spiced powder.It can be had with hot steaming rice and raw banana curry.

Ingredients

• 250gms of Avarekkai  or Broad Beans
• One small cup of Turdhal            
• One small marble sized Tamrind    
• A pinch of Turmeric powder      
• Salt to taste
• Jaggery(optional)
• A generous pinch of Asafoetida.

To roast and grind

• One tsp of Gingelly oil     
• One tbs of Uurad dhal      
• Three nos Red chillies    
• 2Tbs of Scraped Coconut
• Half a tsp of Black pepper       

Seasoning

• One tsp of Gingelly oil
• One tsp of Mustard seeds
• Half a tsp of Urad dhal
• One Red chilli    

How to

1.Soak Tamarind in hot water and extract pulp three times.Chop the broad beans into small pieces and cook it in the tamarind water with salt and turmeric powder.Pressure cook tur dhal until soft.

2.In half a tsp of Gingelly oil Roast and grind the things given under roast and grind into a coarse powder or paste.

3.Once the vegetable is cooked add the coarse powder,boiled tur dhal,jaggery and let it combine and boil for a minute.Check for salt if required add some more.Heat oil in a pan and temper with Mustard seeds,urad dhal and red chillies.(you can add some curry leaves too)

Notes

• Add a generous pinch of Asafoetida as it will enhance the taste and aroma of the kuzmabu.
• Make a thin extract of the tamarind and boil the vegetable in that otherwise it will not get cooked.
• Make it a little runny consistency so that it can be used as a Kuzhambu and not a kootu.