Black eyed peas curry

This has been on my post list for quite sometime. Recently my thirst for beans and proteins seem to be a never ending thing. So I try and incorporate all kind of dry/sprouted beans in my day-to-day recipe and one such is black eyed peas. I like it better when my hubby makes it and so today as well, it’s his recipe!

1 cup black eyed peas, soaked overnight
2 small or 1-1/2 medium sized tomatoes chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
1″ ginger chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 or 2 green chillies slit length-wise
Coriander leaves chopped, for garnish
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon oil

Method:
1. Add oil to a pressure cooker and when hot add cumin seeds. When they crack add onion and fry for about 2 minutes until they turn translucent.
2. Then add ginger-garlic-green chilly and fry for a minute. Add all the dry powders and fry until they blend well and raw smell leaves. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and fry again for 2 minutes. Add soaked/drained bean and fry for another 1 minute.
4. Add milk, salt, water and pressure cook for 2 whistle. If the curry is too watery, boil on medium flame after opening the cooker for 5 minutes. If its too thick, add water and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Vazhakkai-Raw Plantain Seppankezhangu-Taro root kootu

I always have a liking to try out traditional recipes that comes through generations. This recipe was given to my mom by her mother in law and now to me by my mom. I keep pestering my mother to write down all the recipes that she has learnt over a period of…I guess almost 45years of cooking! But so humbly she would say….”Naan enna perusa panitten ellarum pannathatha….” But look at me! I would make such a simple thing and I would immediately call her up and boast about it! Yuck………………..And still she would give me all due credits and applause and I think that’s what keeps me going each day!

Now to the recipe.

1 medium sized vazhaikkai (Raw plantain) (Peel and cut into small cubes)
3-4 seppankezhangu (Taro root)
2 teaspoon freshly made sambar powder
1 small gooseberry sized tamarind, soaked and squeezed
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, urad dal, pinch of hing, spring of curry leaves, 1 teaspoon oil for tempering
1 cup soaked, boiled karamani (Or any kind of bean)
2 cups water

To grind:
2 tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera)
3 tablespoon grated coconut

Method:
1. Boil seppankezhangu with salt. Cool, peel, cut into small chunks and keep aside.
2. Now add 1 tsp oil to a kadai and when hot temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, hing and cury leaves.
3. Vazhaikkai, little turmeric and saute a little. Then add salt, water, tamarind extract, sambar powder and cook on medium flame until vazhaikkai is cooked to 3/4th.
4. Then add boiled karamani, boiled and cubed seppankezhangu and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the cumin-coconut paste, cook until raw smell of jeera fades. Serve hot with paruppu/dal rice.