AvarekaLu/surati papadi lilva is a seasonal beans that is a available in the months of December – March. Growing up I remember we used to buy the beans with the shell. To make this dish it was a long process, as we had to peel the shells, take out the beans, soak them in water for serval hours and then remove the skin on each of the beans. It was a family event for us. I would dread doing this and always found reasons to escape the work :). These days it has become so easy in Bangalore we get the beans without the skin, which is ready to cook. I used the peeled frozen variety, it is very easy to remove the skin for them. All you have to do is soak it in warm water and remove the skin after 30 mins. Thanks to my Instagram friend Divya DeepakRao for this tip, worked like a charm. When I am short on time, I have made this curry without removing the skin for the frozen beans it tastes great either ways.
In Bangalore, India during the averakai season they have a food mela/festival where all the dishes are made using averakai. Its amazing to know how many varieties are made using these beans from savory to sweets. My mom makes many varieties with this beans mostly savory but one of them is sweet. We are a family with sweet tooth we can turn anything into a sweet dish :).
Ingredients:
avarekaLu/surati papadi lilva 11 oz (used the frozen beans)
onion 1 big, cut in chunks
oil 8 tsp
mustard seeds 1 tsp
hing/asafoetida a pinch
curry leaves/kadhipatha 6 leaves
salt to taste
tamarind paste 3/4 tsp
jaggery powder 1/4 tsp or lil more
water as needed
for masala paste-1
onion 1/4 piece, cut into chunks
garlic 4 pods
red chillies 8
coriander seeds/dhaniya 2 tsp
peppercorns 6
cumin/jeera 1 tsp
coconut 1/2 cup (can use shredded or fresh grated coconut)
oil 1 tsp
water as needed
for masala paste-2
coconut 1/4 cup
khus khus 1 tsp
water as needed
Full recipe: Hitikida AvarekaLu huLLi/Surati papadi lilva curry