I love summer when we grow tons of fresh avarakkai in our vegetable garden. Avarakkai is also known as Indian broad beans in English and Papdi in Hindi. It is a versatile vegetable that can be used to make poriyal like this. We can also use avarakkai to make kootu or sambar. Avarakkai is considered a naatu vegetable and is earthy and delicious. It is grown and used a lot in traditional South Indian cooking. It is also one of the vegetables that are used during the festival/pandigai season as well as during the fasting/pitru season. Fresh avarakkai is very tender and it cooks very quickly. If the avarakkai is a little mature, it might be a little fibrous and we might need to remove the extra stringy fiber. They are still good to use. Growing broad beans in the home garden is quite easy. They grow as a vine/climber and need support. And once the plant takes off, it produces bunches and bunches of avarakkai. This avarakkai curry or poriyal is very similar to the beans curry, purple cabbage poriyal, or the beetroot curry. I don’t use onions in this poriyal and instead use freshly grated coconut.
Why make this avarakkai poriyal?
Quick and easy - This is one of the easiest stir fry to make and once we have the broad beans chopped, it takes just about 20 minutes. Healthy and nutritious - Like any other green vegetable, avarakkai is a good source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals. It also is a good source of dietary fiber that benefits gut health. Kids friendly - Both my boys love avarakkai curry, which has been one of my favorites ever since I was a kid. Even now when I go back to India, one of the first vegetables that I buy is avarakkai. Works as a great side dish - Broad beans poriyal makes a wonderful side dish for many recipes. I love to serve it along with mor kuzhambu or vathal kuzhambu. Not just these, but it is a wonderful choice to make along with rasam sadam to serve on a cold evening.
How to cook broad beans?
Avarakkai or papdi is easy to cook and does not take a long time. Especially when using tender avarakkai, they cook easily when stir-frying. If the avarakkai is a little mature or mutthal (like we say in Tamil), we can steam it or boil it in water before using it. Back in India, amma would cook the avarakkai along with the moong dal in water and then strain and use it. I also steam it in the microwave with a little water sprinkled. These days I cook it in the pan sprinkling a little water and it is perfect.
Step-by-step process
Prepare the moong dal - Measure about 3 tablespoons of payatham paruppu and wash and soak it for 15 to 20 minutes.
Prepare the broad beans - Wash and towel dry the avarakkai and trim the edges. If the avarakkai is thick and mature, remove the strings when trimming the edges. Now chop the avarakkai into thin and even slices.
I cooked the avarakkai directly in the pan and did not steam it or cook it before.
In a wide pan, heat the coconut oil. Add the seasoning ingredients - mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chilies, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Fry until the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden brown.
Add the chopped avarakkai to the pan and the drained moong dal. Mix well.
Add salt needed and cook the vegetable covered in low heat. Sprinkle some water if the avarakkai starts drying out.
Cook the avarakkai until they are tender. Don’t overcook it. Once the broad beans are completely cooked, open the pan and let the moisture dry out.
If using sugar, add it now and give it a quick mix. Now add the grated coconut and mix well. Let the avarakkai poriyal cook for a minute and then turn off the heat. Serve!
Expert tips
Make sure to remove the strings from the avarakkai. If not removed properly, they could be annoying when eating. Use fresh coconut as it adds a lot of flavor to the poriyal. Seasoning with coconut oil makes a big difference in the avarakkai poriyal flavor. Adding sugar is completely optional but the little sugar goes a long way and tastes amazing.
Frequently asked questions
More Poriyal recipes
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter Avarakkai/broad beans/papdi beans - Washed, strings removed, and chopped into thin slices. Moong dal/payatham paruppu - Washed and soaked for about 15 to 20 minutes. This is completely optional and this poriyal can be made without moong dal as well. Grated coconut - I use frozen coconut that is thawed. Seasoning - I use mustard seeds, urad dal/ullutham paruppu, dried red chilies, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Salt and sugar - Amma always uses a little sugar in most of the poriyals made with coconut. I add it as well and love the little sweetness. This is completely optional and can be skipped. Oil - I like to make curry like this with coconut oil to enhance the coconut flavor in the recipe. We could use any other cooking oil of choice instead.
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