Recipe for a delicious kuruma made with butter beans and coconut masala paste. Perfect side dish for idli, dosai and chapati. Recipe with video.
A very popular variety of lima bean that’s prized in Madurai and Southern Tamilnadu. It is cultivated in Kodaikanal and Palani hills. The butter bean is held on par with meat as an ingredient in the kitchens of Madurai, Virudhunagar and interior southern parts of Tamilnadu. It’s also expensive. A kilogram of unpeeled butter bean can go upwards of Rs.200. If you go to a Madurai household for lunch as a guest and you are a vegetarian, this along with / or fresh red soya beans would be served for lunch. It would be in the form of a poriyal / stir-fry or a semi gravy called butter beans masala. We all know Madurai for its varied offerings of South Indian breakfast, parottas, mutton galore and offal. But Madurai home kitchens take pride in their butter beans and are a mainstay. Butter beans are added while making pulao and also to their mutton kuzhambu. Many times, people kind of misunderstand butter beans for double beans. They are both different. It’s very rare to get butter beans in the north of Tamilnadu. These days, you do get it once in a while in super markets. I have never seen this while growing up in Coimbatore. They taste fantastic in a kurma and the beans are so creamy and tastes very rich. So next time on your trip to meet Meenakshi, stop at the farmers market and dont forget to pick a kilogram of butter beans.
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Here is the video of how to make Madurai Butter Beans Kuruma
For Cooking Butter Beans
2 cups butter beans (measured after peeling) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1.5 cups water
Other Ingredients
2 tablespoon groundnut oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 sprig curry leaves 1/2 cup shallots, sliced 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 3/4 teaspoon coriander powder 3/4 teaspoon curry masala powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 of a lime, juiced 2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped
For Tomato Masala Paste
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 pod country garlic 1 inch piece ginger, chopped 2 green chillies, chopped 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
For Coconut Masala Paste
1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut 12 cashews 1.5 teaspoon white poppy seeds ( soaked in little hot water for five minutes ) 2 cloves 1 small piece cinnamon (cassia) 1.5 cups water (divided)
Butter Beans is a variety of lima beans and is usually cultivated in the hilly mountain regions. They need to be shelled. Once shelled, they can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen till later.
Add two cups of shelled butter beans to a small pressure cooker. Add in a little salt and water. Cover the pressure cooker and cook for three whistles. It should take about five to six minutes.
Wait for the pressure to settle before opening the cooker. Open the cooker after the pressure has completely subsided. The beans should be cooked to a soft texture. If pressed, they should be soft to press and become mushy. The skin will be intact even though the insides are mushy. Set aside.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of ground nut oil in a pan. Add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and sliced shallots. Saute till the shallots are soft and slowly starting to brown. Once the shallots are lite golden in colour, add in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and curry masala powder. I have used readymade curry masala powder for this recipe. Saute for a few seconds for the spice powders to get toasted in oil.
In the meantime, add a couple of roughly chopped tomatoes to a mixie. Add in a pod of country garlic. If you do not have country garlic, regular garlic will work too. add in the ginger, chopped green chillies and little fennel seeds. Grind this mixture to a smooth paste.
Add this ground paste to the pan. Saute for three to four minutes till the mixture is dry. Add in the cooked beans along with the water. Remember that we added half salt while cooking the beans and so the kuruma will be half salted now. Mix well to combine.
While the kuruma is simmering, we will make a coconut masala paste.
Take a mixie jar and add in the fresh shredded coconut. Add in the cashews. Add in the poppy seeds. Soak the poppy seeds in little hot water for five minutes so it’s easy to grind. Add in a couple of cloves and a small piece of cinnamon. Add enough water and grind to a smooth paste.
It’s important that the paste be ground to a smooth texture so our kuruma will be creamy. Add in the ground coconut masala paste to the pan. Wash the mixie with little water and add back to the pan. Add in a little salt. Mix well to combine. Cook on a low flame for about 10 – 12 minutes. Saute once in a while. If the kuruma feels very thick while simmering, add little hot water to adjust the consistency.
Once the kuruma has cooked well, Add in a little sugar to balance the flavours. The sugar will not sweeten the kuruma but nicely round the flavours of the dish. Add in juice of half a lime at this stage and switch off the flame. Finish with a generous sprinkling of coriander leaves. Our fantastic Madurai butter bean kuruma is ready. This can be served with Idli, Dosai or Chapati.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 30m
For Cooking Butter Beans
2 cups butter beans (measured after peeling) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1.5 cups water
Other Ingredients
2 tablespoon groundnut oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 sprig curry leaves 1/2 cup shallots, sliced 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 3/4 teaspoon coriander powder 3/4 teaspoon curry masala powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 of a lime, juiced 2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped
For Tomato Masala Paste
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 pod country garlic 1 inch piece ginger, chopped 2 green chillies, chopped 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
For Coconut Masala Paste
1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut 12 cashews 1.5 teaspoon white poppy seeds ( soaked in little hot water for five minutes ) 2 cloves 1 small piece cinnamon (cassia) 1.5 cups water (divided)
Butter Beans is a variety of lima beans and is usually cultivated in the hilly mountain regions. They need to be shelled. Once shelled, they can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen till later.
Add two cups of shelled butter beans to a small pressure cooker. Add in a little salt and water. Cover the pressure cooker and cook for three whistles. It should take about five to six minutes.
Wait for the pressure to settle before opening the cooker. Open the cooker after the pressure has completely subsided. The beans should be cooked to a soft texture. If pressed, they should be soft to press and become mushy. The skin will be intact even though the insides are mushy. Set aside.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of ground nut oil in a pan. Add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and sliced shallots. Saute till the shallots are soft and slowly starting to brown. Once the shallots are lite golden in colour, add in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and curry masala powder. I have used readymade curry masala powder for this recipe. Saute for a few seconds for the spice powders to get toasted in oil.
In the meantime, add a couple of roughly chopped tomatoes to a mixie. Add in a pod of country garlic. If you do not have country garlic, regular garlic will work too. add in the ginger, chopped green chillies and little fennel seeds. Grind this mixture to a smooth paste.
Add this ground paste to the pan. Saute for three to four minutes till the mixture is dry. Add in the cooked beans along with the water. Remember that we added half salt while cooking the beans and so the kuruma will be half salted now. Mix well to combine.
While the kuruma is simmering, we will make a coconut masala paste.
Take a mixie jar and add in the fresh shredded coconut. Add in the cashews. Add in the poppy seeds. Soak the poppy seeds in little hot water for five minutes so it’s easy to grind. Add in a couple of cloves and a small piece of cinnamon. Add enough water and grind to a smooth paste.
It’s important that the paste be ground to a smooth texture so our kuruma will be creamy. Add in the ground coconut masala paste to the pan. Wash the mixie with little water and add back to the pan. Add in a little salt. Mix well to combine. Cook on a low flame for about 10 – 12 minutes. Saute once in a while. If the kuruma feels very thick while simmering, add little hot water to adjust the consistency.
Once the kuruma has cooked well, Add in a little sugar to balance the flavours. The sugar will not sweeten the kuruma but nicely round the flavours of the dish. Add in juice of half a lime at this stage and switch off the flame. Finish with a generous sprinkling of coriander leaves. Our fantastic Madurai butter bean kuruma is ready. This can be served with Idli, Dosai or Chapati.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 30m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/butter-beans-kuruma/
Churmuri | Street Style Masala Churumuri Recipe | Masala Mandakki | Puffed Rice Salad With Assortment OF Grated Vegetables
Churmuri or churumuri as it’s called is a perfect snack / salad made with puffed rice and an assortment of grated raw veggies. It’s a popular street food across South India. It’s perfect for that evening hunger pangs and is also vegan and gluten free.
This is a very easy recipe and can be put together within 15-20 minutes. There is no cooking involved except for the roasting of the puffed rice. Dry roasting the puffed rice makes it very crisp. This step is optional but makes a lot of difference to the finished dish.
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Here is the video of how to make churmuri
1/4 cup tomato, deseeded 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup cucumber, deseeded, finely chopped 1/4 cup raw mango, grated 1/4 cup carrot, grated 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped 1 green chilli, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon black salt 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 lime, juiced 1/4 cup roasted peanuts 3 cups puffed rice 2 tablespoon sev, readymade 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Dry roast the puffed rice on a low flame for about 2-3 minutes. Roasting the puffed rice makes it very crisp and fresh and they stay crisp for a long time. This step is optional but makes a lot of difference to the finished dish.
Now, let’s prepare the veggies. Deseed the tomatoes and finely chop them. Deseeded tomatoes are preferred for this recipe. Prep the mangoes by grating them. Grate the mangoes along with the skin. No need to remove the skin of the mangoes. I have used a box grater for grating. Peel and grate the carrots using a box grater or a food processor. Finely chop the onions. Chop some fresh coriander leaves and prep them. Finely chop a green chilli. If you like your churmuri spicier, you can add one more. Peel and finely chop the cucumber. I prefer to de-seed the cucumbers before chopping for this recipe.
Take a bowl and add in all the prepped veggies. We will need about a quarter cup of each veggie. After adding the veggies, mix well to combine.
Add in the chaat masala, cumin powder, black salt and red chilli powder. Squeeze juice of half a lime to the bowl. Mix well to combine.
A note on roasting the peanuts: I like to roast the peanuts in an air fryer. Spread the peanuts on the baking tray. Roast the peanuts at 150 degree C / 300 degree F for about five to six minutes. Depending on the air fryer, it may take a couple of minutes more. The peanuts will be perfectly roasted after the said time. Let it cool a bit. Once cooled, rub the peanuts between the palm to get rid of the skin. The roasted peanuts can be stored in an air tight container and used as required. The peanuts stay crunchy for up to a week.
Add in about a quarter cup of roasted peanuts to the churmuri bowl. Add the roasted puffed rice to the bowl. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle some ready made sev for the crunch. You can use bhujia too. If you are watching your diet, you can skip the sev. Finally sprinkle some coconut oil for flavour. The coconut oil gives a nice aroma to the churmuri. Mix well to combine.
Our healthy veggie packed churmuri is now ready to be served. Serve immediately. The puffed rice will become very soggy if stored for a long time. If preparing for a party, get the veggies prepped and ready. Mix everything just before serving so the puffed rice stays fresh.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 2m
