Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry

Recipe for Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry. Perfect South Indian Tamilnadu style lunch side dish for rice. With step by step pictures.

My husband Vinodh is a fan of country vegetables. Avarakkai / broad beans is one of his favorites. This Avarakkai Kuzhambu (pronounced Ku-lam-boo) is very hearty and comforting. Vinodh also likes red rice. But I am choosy with red rice. I will eat red rice provided there is a hearty curry like this one. This is an everyday curry or side dish and all you need is some ghee for the meal. Here is our house favorite Avarakkai Paruppu Curry.

Soak the Avarakkai in lots of water for 10 minutes to get rid of the fine dirt. Wash the beans and set aside. Now we need to de-string the beans. This is an important step as the strings are very fibrous and not pleasant to eat. Snap off the tip of one end of the bean with a paring knife and pull the string like below. Snap and pull other end of the bean too. Discard the snapped-off ends and strings. Note that the tender young bean might not have strings. So just snap off the ends alone.

Cut the beans into 2 inch pieces. Boil the beans in 2 cups of water until tender. Set aside. ( I pressure cooked the beans with water for two whistles.) Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry in low flame until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, salt and turmeric. We use green chillies for this curry and not red chillies. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. About 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Add in the shredded coconut and fry for a minute more. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste with one cup of water. Set aside.

Soak tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind to release the juice and discard any hard bits. Set aside the tamarind water. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind water and let the tamarind water come to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add in the ground masala paste and a small piece of jaggery. I have already said in many of my posts that wherever tamarind goes, a small piece of jaggery also goes. Jaggery helps to enhance the taste of the final dish. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame.

Add in the cooked toor dal and the boiled broad beans. Add in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat. Serve the curry hot with rice.

Main Ingredients

• 250 grams Avarakkai / Broad Beans
• 1/2 cup fully cooked Toor Dal
• 1 inch piece tamarind (gooseberry size)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Jaggery
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 stalks coriander leaves, chopped

For the Masala

• 1 tablespoon sesame / gingely oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Green Chillies
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut

1. Boil the cut beans in 2 cups of water until tender. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry in low flame until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, salt and turmeric. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. About 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Add in the shredded coconut and fry for a minute more. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste with one cup of water. Set aside.
3. Soak tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with hands and discard any hard bits. Set aside the tamarind water. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind water and let the tamarind water come to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add in the ground masala paste and a small piece of jaggery. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame.
4. Add in the cooked toor dal and the boiled broad beans. Add in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat. Serve the curry hot with rice.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Main Ingredients

• 250 grams Avarakkai / Broad Beans
• 1/2 cup fully cooked Toor Dal
• 1 inch piece tamarind (gooseberry size)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Jaggery
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 stalks coriander leaves, chopped

For the Masala

• 1 tablespoon sesame / gingely oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Green Chillies
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut

1. Boil the cut beans in 2 cups of water until tender. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry in low flame until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, salt and turmeric. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. About 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Add in the shredded coconut and fry for a minute more. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste with one cup of water. Set aside.
3. Soak tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with hands and discard any hard bits. Set aside the tamarind water. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind water and let the tamarind water come to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add in the ground masala paste and a small piece of jaggery. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame.
4. Add in the cooked toor dal and the boiled broad beans. Add in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat. Serve the curry hot with rice.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/avarakkai-kuzhambu-avarakkai-paruppu-curry-recipe/

The very important ingredient in Cajun Chicken Alfredo is blackening spice mix. I use store bought blackening spice mix. Its sold as Cajun spice mix in India. If you are in the US, it will be sold as blackening spice. It has a lot of flavorful ingredients like salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, Italian seasoning etc…. Buy Cajun Spice Powder Online in India

We will be using 2 boneless chicken breasts for today’s Cajun Chicken Alfredo . Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Rub the chicken well with 3 tablespoons of Cajun Spice powder. Be generous with the spice mix!!! It has a lot of flavor. Make sure the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the spice powder. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan until hot on medium flame. Add in the chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes on each side. It should nicely brown and some bits on the chicken would turn black. Don’t worry. Its just that the spice coating is blackening. It is not burning. You are on the right track.

Once the chicken is cooked, add in the finely chopped garlic and saute for a minute. Add in the milk and the cream. The original recipe uses all cream. But I make it as a lighter version with milk and cream. The original recipe uses sun dried tomatoes too. But I don’t add sun dried tomatoes as I don’t get them here. If you have sun dried tomatoes, add a couple of tablespoons of chopped sun dried tomatoes now.

Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add salt and taste for seasoning. The Cajun spice mixture already has salt in it. So go easy on the salt. Look at the beautiful color it becomes after adding cream. Add in the boiled Spaghetti and Parmesan cheese. Mix well for a minute to let the sauce coat the pasta. Switch off the flame and garnish with spring onions.

Not super complicated, easy, flavorful Cajun Chicken Alfredo pasta is ready!! Serve hot. This recipe has to be had as soon as its made else the pasta tends to dry out.

For the Marination

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless
• 3 tablespoon blackening spice powder / Cajun spice powder

Other ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 250 grams spaghetti, cooked
• 3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoon chopped spring onion ( 4 stalks)

1. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Rub the chicken well with 3 tablespoons of Cajun Spice powder. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan until hot on medium flame. Add in the chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, add in the finely chopped garlic and saute for a minute. Add in the milk and the cream.
4. Optional – Add a couple of tablespoons of chopped sun dried tomatoes.
5. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add salt to taste.
6. Add in the boiled Spaghetti and parmesan cheese. Mix well for a minute to let the sauce coat the pasta. Switch off the flame and garnish with spring onions.

Notes

I used Amul cream for this recipe as that’s what is easily available in India. You can substitute more cream instead of milk if you want a rich sauce.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Pasta
• Cuisine: Italian American