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Paruppu usili
Green beans with crumbled lentils
Beans paruppu usili (பீன்ஸ் பருப்பு உசிலி): green beans with steamed, crumbled spiced chana and toor dal
Paruppu usili is a Tamil Brahmin speciality, the dry dish that sits beside more kuzhambu or rasam on a Thanjavur lunch leaf at weddings and at home: chana and toor dal are soaked, ground coarsely with red chilli, steamed into a cake, crumbled, then fried with finely chopped green beans until the crumbs turn golden and crisp in places. The result is nutty, spicy and full of protein. A portion is about 220 kcal. The dals soak for 1 hour first (not counted in the times). The mistake most people make is grinding the dal to a smooth paste; it should be coarse like semolina, or the usili turns into lumps instead of crumbs. Chef's tip: steam the ground dal before frying, rather than frying it raw; it crumbles perfectly and needs far less oil.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dal crumble
- 2 ⅞ oz chana dalsoaked 1 hour
- 1 ⅜ oz toor dalsoaked 1 hour with the chana dal
- ¼ tsp asafoetidagluten-free
- 1 tsp salt
For the beans
- 10 ½ oz green beansvery finely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp split urad dal
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 2 ⅞ oz chana dal and 1 ⅜ oz toor dal well. Grind with 3 dried red chillies, ¼ tsp asafoetida and half the ½ tsp salt in short pulses, without water, to a coarse, grainy paste like wet semolina.
3 minStep 2: Spread the paste in a greased plate or idli moulds and steam for 10–12 minutes, until it feels firm and a knife comes out clean. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then crumble with your fingers into fine crumbs.
12 minStep 3: Meanwhile, cook 10 ½ oz green beans in a pan with 3 tablespoons of water, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and the rest of the ½ tsp salt, covered, over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Drain off any water.
5 minStep 4: Heat 1 ½ tbsp sunflower oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp black mustard seeds; when it pops, add 1 tsp split urad dal and 10 curry leaves and fry until golden.
1 minStep 5: Add the dal crumbs and fry, stirring and breaking them up, for 5–6 minutes, until they are dry, golden and crisp in places.
6 minStep 6: Add the beans and toss for 2 minutes to mix. Stir in 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut and serve with rasam or more kuzhambu and rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does paruppu usili take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of toor dal?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
- What can I use instead of asafoetida?
- A pinch each of garlic powder and onion powder (asafoetida stands in for onion and garlic).
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