ALASANDE KAALU USLI

ALASANDE KAALU USLI 

Usli in Karnataka and Sundal in Tamilnadu  are a light snack generally made of legumes like chickpeas, dry green peas, black eyed beans etc. Over the years this has come to become common fare during festivals like Navartri  in many South Indian homes.

As I write this, we in India are celebrating the festival of Navaratri. It is customary to offer some prasad or snack to guests who drop in, usually one sweet and one savoury. Today's recipe is for the easy to make Alasande Kaalu Usli, which is made with black-eyed beans.

Black-eyed beans are called Alasande Kaalu in Kannada, Karamani in Tamil, Lobia in Hindi and Alasande Bi in my mother tongue, Konkani.

This recipe does not call for the use of onion or garlic, so it can also be made on days when many in Hindu families fast or avoid dishes using onion or garlic.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for other types of Uslis , such as :-

• Kadale Kaalu Usli
• Hesaru Kaalu Usli

Do try out these yummy Uslis. They are easy to make and are healthy too!

Ingredients:-

• Alasande Kaalu,  (Black Eyed Beans) , 1/2 cup (yields 1 and 1/4 cup on soaking)
• Green Chillies, slit or chopped , 2
• Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Hing, ( Asafoetida), 1/8 tsp
• Curry Leaves, 6 to 8
• Coconut Gratings, 1/3 cup 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tsp
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 2 tbsp, for garnish
• Lemon Juice, as required (optional) 

Method:-

Wash and soak the Alasande Kaalu ( black-eyed beans) for about 4 hours in adequate water 

Please note that 1/2 cup of Alasande Kaalu, when soaked increases in volume to become 1 and 1/4 cups 

Next, pressure cook the soaked Alasande Kaalu with fresh water along with a little salt for about 2 whistles

Make sure this does not get overcooked
Wait for the cooker to cool and remove the cooked Alasande Kaalu 
Drain the excess water and keep aside
Heat oil in a kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds
When they splutter add the green chillies and sauté till they change colour

Add the broken red chilli and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

To this add the cooked Alasande Kaalu and salt to taste
Cook uncovered for a few minutes till the excess water evaporates
Mix in the fresh coconut gratings and finely chopped coriander leaves

If you wish, you can add a little lemon juice and mix once again 

MASALA CHAWLI

MASALA CHAWLI


Chawli (also called lobia) is the Hindi name for cowpeas, commonly known as black-eyed beans. We call this bugdo in Konkani. These legumes are very tasty and nutritious. They are said to help diabetics as also lower cholesterol as per this article.

I try to use chawli at least once in a while in our diet. Elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for Lobia Rassedar which goes great with rotis, and for Lobia Suva Bhaji Subzi.

Today's dish is adapted from Masala Chawli from the legendary Tarlaji Dalal. I tried it out and loved the special flavour provided by the mint leaves and dried fenugreek leaves.

For best results it is essential that the cowpeas are soaked for at least 4-6 hours so that they become nice and soft.

Ingredients:

• Cowpeas/ Black-eyed Beans (Chawli/Lobia), 1/2 cup soaked for at least 4-6 hours
• Medium-sized Onion, finely chopped, 1
• Fresh Tomoto Pulp, 1 cup
• Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi) 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste

To be ground into a paste:

• Mint Leaves, chopped, 3/4 cup
• Ginger, grated, 1 tsp
• Green Chillies, 2-3
• Lemon Juice, 1/2 tsp

Method:

Clean, wash and soak the chawli in enough water for at least 4-6 hours
Make a pulp from 2 medium-sized tomatoes and keep aside
In a small mixer jar, make a paste of the mint leaves, ginger, green chillies and lemon juice adding very little water. Keep aside.

In a pressure cooker  add 1 cup of water to the soaked chawli and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles or till they are coooked. 

Once the cooker cools, remove the cooked chawli and keep aside. Retain the water in which they were cooked.

Heat oil in a kadhai, and when it gets hot add the chopped onions and saute for 1-2 minutes or till they turn slightly golden. Add the tomato pulp, dried fenugreek leaves, turmeric powder,  and salt and mix well

Cook over low flame for about 2 minutes

Add the cooked chawli, some of the retained water in which it was cooked and the ground mint paste and let it simmer for 4-5 minutes
You can vary the consistency to suit your taste

Serve hot with rotis

CHAWLI SUBZI

CHAWLI SUBZI

Chawli is what we call Red Cow Peas in Konkani and Marathi. It is smaller in size and different in colour from the Black Eyed Beans, which are more white in colour though both are called Lobhia in Hindi.

This simple side dish is adapted from Chawli Beans Subzi by Tarla Dalal. Instead of the conventional Black Eyed Beans, I have used Red Cow Peas.

We enjoyed this sattvic dish, which does not use onion or garlic, with rotis.

Ingredients:

• Chawli ( Red Cow Peas/Lobhia), soaked and drained, 1 and 1/2 cups
• Cumin Seeds, (Jeera),1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, (Hing) 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric  (Haldi) Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Coriander-Cumin  (Dhania-Jeera) Powder,1 tsp
• Thick Tamarind Pulp, 2 tsp
• Grated Jaggery, 1 tbsp
• Coriander, finely chopped, 2 tbsp - for garnish
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tsp

Method:

First wash and soak the chawli for about 4 hours. Drain the excess water.

In a pressure cooker, cook the chawli with 1 and 1/2 cups of water adding a little salt for 2 whistles

Once the cooker cools, remove the cooked chawli retaining the liquid and keep aside
In a thick bottomed kadhai, heat oil and when it gets hot on medium flame add the cumin seeds and when they sizzle add the asafoetida and saute
To this, add the cooked chawli along with the liquid in which it was cooked

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander-cumin seeds powder and salt. Mix well.

Now, cover and cook on medium flame for 4-5 minutes stirring from time to time

Add the tamarind pulp and grated jaggery, mix well and cook on medium flame for another 2-3 minutes, stirring from time to time

Switch off the gas and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

Serve hot with rice or rotis