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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Vella payaru

There are some dishes that I associate with my childhood. Eating the dish, or even the aromas that waft out of the kitchen while it is being made take me back to another time and place. Vella payaru (black eyed beans or karamani cooked with jaggery) is one such dish. This often made an appearance whenever we were hungry and wanted something in the evenings and during navaratri. Children usually love this because it is sweet (my daughter is an exception) and filling.

What you need:
Black eyed beans - 1 cup (There are two kinds of black eyed beans - white and reddish brown. I prefer the red one and that's what I've used)
Jaggery - 1/3 cup
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 4 or 5 pods, coarsely crushed

Soak the beans in plenty of water for 2 hours. Pressure cook until two whistles or until it is cooked through but not mushy. Drain off excess water.
Take the jaggery in a pan. Add a little bit of water to it and heat until the jaggery melts completely. Stir in the cooked beans and heat for a minute or two until all the moisture evaporates. Switch off the heat and mix in the grated coconut and crushed cardamom. Stir well. Serve hot or cold.

This goes to Madhavi who is hosting the Childrens Day edition of the Festive Foods event.
It is also my second entry to the 5th helping of MLLA hosted by Simona and begun by Susan.
A helping of this is also being sent to Aparna's birthday party.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

looks nice..never tried with black eyed beans..healthy one..

Finla said...

I have neve rhad this, but it looks really yumm, surprised that your daughter don't like this especially as it is sweet.

Priya Suresh said...

Looks awesome...

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

my fav sundal.. they r yummy isnt't it?

jayasree said...

As u said, vellapayar is indeed very nostalgic. Mostly it is associated with navarathri. I have been wanting to make this since I missed making this navaratri.

Sum Raj said...

this is a unique recipe from beans...looks mouthwatering..

Vanamala Hebbar said...

sounds good...new recipe to me..

sra said...

When I heard of moong dal being cooked with jaggery, it came as a big surprise to me! Don't think I've eaten whole beans cooked with jaggery, ever, though!

anudivya said...

Nice and innovative. Got to try it.

Dibs said...

and oh ...please send in your post for the Kitchen Treasure Hunt!

sansmerci said...

wow reminds me of my childhood navratri days ...pic looks yummy n temptin.. mouthwaterin! u manage to do this everytime :)

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

We all love this.
Definitely neiveidhyam for one day of Navarathri. Brings back memories of our collecting this from the neighbours houses during the festival and coming back home to open all the packets for inspection and feasting! :)

Jaya M said...

Looks delicious and yeas something new to me as well..Thanks for sharing
hugs and smiles

Cynthia said...

This is so new to me...

I know we make a kind of mooncake here with a black-eye peas bean paste but this way... thanks for the introduction.

Simona Carini said...

What an interesting sweet dish! I can imagine children loving it. Thanks for your contribution.