Tingalavaro- Batate SaarUpkari (White Navy Beans- Potato Patla Bhaji)

“Tingalavaro- Batate SaarUpkari (White Navy Beans- Potato Patla Bhaji)” ... saarupkari is traditional thin textured curry from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine that can be prepared using any beans with a aromatic tempering of either garlic or mustard- curry leaves … a simple dish that tastes excellent served with rice along with any side dish of your choice, try it, tastes awesome … Yummilicious …

** SaarUpkari is one of the most preferred dishes from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared almost in every home using their own favourite dried beans. It is easy to prepare soup textured dish with a choice of tempering it with either garlic or mustard- curry leaves. Any beans can be prepared as saarupkari, however, tingalavro (white beans), moong (green gram), kulith (horse gram), masoor (red lentil) are a few of the bean varieties that are the most preferred one’s for saarupkari.

** Tingalavro (in Konkani) is white navy beans that is by and large available in southern parts of India, though nowadays it is available everywhere. In Thane, Mumbai it is not available in general grocery stores and we need to buy them from Mangalore stores from any nearby vicinity. I believe it is also known as poona val and is available in some places though I have not come across it. Baked beans available in tins are actually white beans that are cooked in tomato paste that is used as bread topping.

** There are plenty of recipes in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with tingalavro and I will be sharing them all as and when I prepared. I am also sharing a common link at the bottom of this recipe for easy access to both old and yet to be shared new recipes which you may browse through and try as and when convenient. The masala curries with addition of veggies taste fantastic be it koddel/ ambat/ bendi/ bhutti. In my home all these recipe are regularly prepared, so do check them out here.

** Here I have prepared saarupkari with Tingalavaro/ White Navy Beans along with potatoes giving it a simple tempering of mustard seeds- spices- curry leaves. While saarupkari hardly takes time to prepare you need to soak them overnight or for minimum 8 hours before you pressure cook the same. Soaking of beans is a must for good health habits and unlike some please avoid adding cooking soda and pressure cooking them without soaking, it is not good for health and I never recommend it.

** Here is my recipe for “Tingalavaro- Batate SaarUpkari (White Beans- Potato Patla Bhaji)” … my style, which I learnt from my Amma …

** Ingredients :

Tingalavro/ White Navy Beans : 1 cup

Potato/ Batata/ Aloo : 2 large sized

Green Chilly/ Tarni Mirsanga/ Hari Mirchi : 3-4

Hinga Uddaka/ Water prepared out of Asafoetida in gummy form : 1 tblsp

(Check how to prepare hinga uddaka at the bottom of this recipe)

OR

Hing/ Asafoetida Powder : 1 tsp

Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste

** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka :

Coconut Oil/ Narlel Tela/ Nariyal Tel : 1-2 tblsp

Mustard Seeds/ Rai/ Sasam : 1 tsp

Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 8-10 fresh leaves

Dry Red Chilly/ Sukki Mirsanga/ Sukhi Mirchi : 1-2

** Soak tingalavre/ white beans in plenty of water for 8-10 hrs or overnight. Drain and rinse with fresh water and add into a pressure cooker pan with water, say about 1 inch above the level of the tingalavro and pressure cook on medium heat to 2 whistles. Let the pressure in the cooker drop by itself after which open the lid and add cooked tingalavaro into a separate vessel and keep it aside ready.

** Peel of the outer skin of potatoes/ batato and cut them into 1 inch sized pieces. Wash well and add into the pressure cook with enough water and cook to one whistle only. Let rest for 5 minutes then release the pressure from cooker if any with the help of tongs and open the lid carefully. Add the cooked potatoes to the tingalavro in vessel. You use the tingalavro cooked water for cooking the potatoes too.

** Note : You can cook potatoes directly in vessel if you are worried of them being overcooked or are not comfortable with the cooker method. You can also skip adding them if need be. I follow this method as it cuts down on cooking time, also if you release the extra pressure after resting for 5 minutes, it arrests overcooking time.

** To the cooked potatoes and tingalvaro in vessel add water to bring it to a semi thick mixture (avoid adding excess water). Add green chillies cut lengthwise, salt to taste, mix well and bring to a rolling boil on high heat stirring well in between. Once it boils well, lower the heat to minimum and continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Lastly add in hinga uddaka (prepared asafoetida water) and mix well.

** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat coconut oil in small tadka pan, when hot add mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add curry leaves and red chilly cut to pieces and fry for a few seconds. Remove and pour this over the simmering saarupkari and mix well. Remove from fir and keep it aside covered; allowing it to rest for 10-15 minutes for the flavours to be infused well into the curry.

** Note : If not adding hing uddaka but using asafoetida powder then add it to the tempering along with the curry leaves and red chillies and fry for a just a few seconds and then pour it over the simmering saarupkari.

** “Tingalavaro- Batate SaarUpkari (White Beans- Potato Patla Bhaji)” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best served with rice along with other side dishes during lunchtime/ dinner. If these beans are available in your vicinity then do try this simple saarupkari and enjoy it during meals with your family and friends.

** For Preparing of Hing/ Asafoetida Water From Gummy Hing : Hing water is prepared by putting a small marble sized gummy hing (available in South Indian Stores) into a glass bottle and adding about a small cup of boiled and cooled water to it. Within a few hours the hing will slowly melt and you will get a thick whitish liquid. This is known as hinga uddaka/ asafoetida water. You can store this in fridge and use sparingly as and when needed. We GSB Konkani Saraswat Community usually prepare the same and keep it in the fridge always and use the same for dal, patrado or any other hummana etc. If you do not have the gummy hing or have never used or seen it, check out the picture collage, I have shared the same. Again, if not available, no issues, you can add hing/ asafoetida powder in which case always add it into the hot oil while tempering to get a good aroma.