Cluster beans are very common in our hometown, we usually add this beans while making sambar or aviyal. But in Chennai, people make a different dish with cluster beans and it is called kothavarangai usili, a tasty side dish for rice. Also it is a well known recipe for Tamil people, but making this takes a lot of time. Here I am going to show a simple and fast way of making this dish and with this you can surprise your guests. Make the parupu usili ahead of time and store it in the freezer. Okay here is the recipe of easy and tasty cluster beans usili. Absolutely you are going to like it.

Ingredients

• Cluster beans ———————- 1 lb (finely cut)
• Paruppu usili ———————- 1 cup
• Grated coconut ——————- 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder ————— 2 pinches
• Indian chili powder ———– 1/4 tsp
• Salt for taste
• For tempering
  • Mustard seeds ————– 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds —————– 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves —————— 1 spring
  • Cooking oil ——————— 2 tbsp

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How to make

• Wash the cluster beans, snip off both ends and cut it into fine pieces
• Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan
• Add the mustard seeds and wait until it crackles, then add the cumin seeds and split urad dal
• Then add the finely cut cluster beans, a pinch of turmeric powder and little salt (paruppu usili already has salt, so add a little bit of salt for the cluster beans only)
• Sauté for few minutes
• Then add a cup of water and cook until the the cluster beans becomes tender in about 10 minutes
• In the meantime, heat a teaspoon of oil in a small pan
• Add the crumbled usili and continuously stir for couple of minutes
• Now keep this in one side of the pan and add the coconut, chili powder, turmeric powder and stir them for a minute
• Now add this into the cluster beans, mix them well and stir for a minute
• Now switch off the stove and the cluster beans usili should be ready to serve

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