Avarekalu Saaru
- 70 min
- medium
- Serves 4
Avarekalu saaru is a Karnataka hyacinth bean gravy with onion, tomato and roasted coconut spice paste. Medium-spicy, serves 4, about 70 minutes plus soaking.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Rainy Day
Ingredients
Water, For Soaking800 ml
Mochai / hyacinth Beans, Soaked300 grams
Turmeric Powder1 grams
Salt1½ tsp
Coriander Seeds12 grams
Cumin1½ tsp
Dry Red Chilli, De-stemmed4 grams
Coconut, Grated45 grams
Garlic, Peeled12 grams
Oil2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds1 tsp
Curry leaves4 grams
Asafoetida0.5 grams
Onion, Finely Chopped1
Green Chilli, Slit10 grams
Tomato, Chopped2
Red Chilli Powder1.5 grams
Coriander Leaves, Chopped6 grams
Contains: wheat.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 245kcal | 980kcal |
| Protein | 8.1g | 32g |
| Carbohydrate | 26g | 103g |
| Fat | 13g | 54g |
| Fibre | 8g | 32g |
| Sugar | 4.5g | 18g |
Cookd masalas for mochai / hyacinth beans
Method
Soak the dried field beans (avarekalu) in 800 ml water for 8 hours or overnight until swollen. Drain, rinse and remove any loose skins. Rinse the curry leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies and tomatoes. Peel the garlic and onion, grate the coconut, remove the dry chilli stems, finely chop the onion and coriander leaves, chop the tomatoes and slit the green chillies.
Add the soaked beans, 750 ml water, turmeric powder and salt to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium heat for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes until the pressure pin drops; the beans should be soft but hold their shape.
Dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin and dry red chillies in a small kadai on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes until they smell roasted. Cool them, then grind with the grated coconut, garlic and 100 ml water to a smooth paste until no dry pieces remain.
Heat oil in a kadai on medium heat for 1 minute until hot. Add mustard seeds and fry for 1 minute until they crackle. Add cumin, curry leaves and asafoetida, then fry for 1 minute until the curry leaves turn crisp.
Add onion and green chilli. Fry on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion turns light golden. Add tomato and the second portion of salt, then cook for 5 minutes until the tomato becomes soft.
Add the ground masala and red chilli powder. Fry on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the raw smell goes. Add the cooked beans with their liquid and 500 ml water, then mix well.
Boil the saaru on medium heat for 10 minutes until it becomes slightly thick and the beans are fully tender. Switch off the heat.
Add chopped coriander leaves and mix. Serve hot with rice or chapati.
Before you start
- How long does Avarekalu Saaru take?
- 1 hour 10 minutes from start to finish. That is 20 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Avarekalu Saaru serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Avarekalu Saaru vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Avarekalu Saaru spicy?
- It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Avarekalu Saaru?
- 300 grams Mochai / hyacinth Beans, 1 grams Turmeric Powder, 12 grams Coriander Seeds, 4 grams Dry Red Chilli, 45 grams Coconut, 12 grams Garlic, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Avarekalu Saaru?
- Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
- How many calories are in Avarekalu Saaru?
- About 245 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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