My virtual kitchen dons a new look , Naresh , I , my kiddo brother and K have been having a difference of opinions about the previous template, I’m someone who likes sober , pleasant , earthy tones and pastels. Bright , flashy colors are not me . the previous blue template was more of a trouble to my eyes rather than being pleasant and the feedback wasnt great either from my friends . Continue Reading

I do not adore Chikkudukaya , at the same time I don’t hate it too… I remember eating those “half cooked beans” as my mother calls them atleast twice a week with phulkas.These broad beans have been an integral part of our growing years. Its been years since I tasted them as I shared a love hate relationship with them and I refused not to stock my pantry after I moved to another city for career prospects. Now, I get nostalgic living thousands of miles away from home.

However , I could not go through the ordeal of eating only broad beans, so I threw in the favorite vegetable of andhrites, Brinjal, those cute little purple waxy vegetables I adore. I liked the outcome of this curry and I intend to prepare it more often. To my surprise, K, who doesnt remember eating this veggie often. liked it too.

I used frozen broad breans and I’m extremely happy with the lakshmi brand frozen veggies. They look fresh and dont have that odour that many other frozen brands have.

Ingredients:
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1 packet of frozen chikkudukaya
5-6 medium sized round brinjal
1 tablespoon sesame seed powder
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
4 green chillies
A few coriander sprigs
1 tablespoon tamarind extract
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida
A little Jaggery(optional)

For the Popu/tadka/seasoning:
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A teaspoon of mustard seeds
A teaspoon of Urad dal
3 red chillies
Few curry leaves

Method:
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Some people like to boil the beans in salt water and then do the popu/tadka, But for this curry, I did the popu/tadka first, added the beans and brinjal let them cook for a while on a low flame and then added the rest of the Ingredients.

Firstly defrost the broad beans and then cut the brinjals into big longitudinal chunks and don’t forget to put the brinjal pieces in salt water, so that they don’t change colour fast or turn bitter.

I first did the popu, by heating oil in a skillet, added the urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves in that order and then add the beans and cooked them for 2 minutes and then added the brinjal. Add the salt, turmeric powder, green chilli powder and cook covered for 5 more minutes. Once they are starting to become tender add the asafoetida powder, crush the green chillies in a mortar and add them too. The reason I added asafoetida later and not in the popu is because when you add the powder to the oil , it loses its flavor and is not very strong. I wanted it to be the taste and flavour to be prominent and that’s why I added it later.

Add salt and cook covered till the vegetables are completely tender. Then add a tablespoon of sesame seed powder, a teaspoon of Jaggery and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the flavors blend. Remove from heat and sprinkle the grated coconut and mix well and serve hot with rice.