Val (Hyacinth Beans)- Cashew Nut Birde/ Malvani Masala Curry.

“Hot-n-Spicy Val (Hyacinth Beans)- Cashew Nut Birde/ Malvani Masala Curry” … after all the goodies and savories it’s time to eat something spicy tongue teasers (chibbeche’ matHi kaduka) … here is a delicious spicy curry from Maharashtrian Cuisine, which I gave a slight twist by adding on cashew nuts and malvani masala … served with our very own Mumbai Pav … Yummilicious … 

** Diwali the festival of lights are always welcomed with loads of goodies and savories. It’s that time when the truth and goodness wins over evil and Hindus celebrate the festival with great pomp all round the world. Crackers are burned illuminating the sky with colours and sparkles, though the smoke produced is not good and is the cause of pollution it is breathtakingly beautiful to watch and enjoy too. I must say over the years there is a drastic cut down on it as awareness of pollution hazards are now recognized by people. The goodies and savories rule on the home front now with relatives and friends dropping in with gifts and wishes while the dishes are relished amidst laughter and chit chats. In all a very beautiful and lovely festival that brings on smile on people face and contentment in heart. After Diwali a break on goodies becomes a must to balance that what is relished through the five day long festival. Sweets are something you do not want to touch for a while so it’s something spicy that the tongue craves for. Non-Vegetarian dishes are also something that are very appealing but somehow they are heavy on tummy so I avoid them for a fortnight and stick to spicy vegetarian dishes. 

** I have been wanting to try this Valache' Birde a spicy dish from Maharashtrian Cuisine for quite some time now making a few changes after going through many recipes. So, tried this one with addition of cashew nuts and malvani masala and I was taken aback with the awesome aroma that filled the home and the spicy taste of the curry. I had made it very spicy, but it did make a good dip for Mumbai Pav/Bread and we relished it ignoring the fact that a few tear drops were trickling down the cheeks. Definitely a tasty dishes which I am eagerly waiting to try out with other pulses and chicken making a few more changes to adapt to our taste. Do keep a keen watch on my Blog for the same and do try out this dish and enjoy with your family and friends. And yes, please do not worry on the spice level, you can always cut down and add only that much how much is suitable to you and your family. But trust me, you should make and relish this dish slightly on the spicier level to get in the best of taste. You can also use the search option and try out other dishes wherein I have used this lovely aromatic Malvani Masala Powder. It gives a very rich and delicious tastes to dish and the powder is easily available in stores all round India.

** Here is my recipe for “Hot-n-Spicy Val (Hyacinth Beans)- Cashew Nut Birde/ Malvani Masala Curry” … My Style … 

** Ingredients :

Val/ Hyacinth Beans : 1 Cup 

Cashew Nuts / Kajjubi : 1 Cup 

Cinnamon/Tike Sali/ Dalchini : 3 x 1.5 inch length pieces.

Black Pepper/Kali Miri : 4-5

Mustard Seeds / Rai/ Sasam : 1 tsp

Kashmiri Red Chillies/Kumte Mirsanga/Byadgi Mirchi :2

Curry Leaves/ Kadi Patta/ Karbevu : 10-12 fresh leaves

Ginger-Garlic (Adrak-Losun) Paste : 1 tblsp

Onion/Piyavu/Kanda : 2 medium sized.

Tomato : 1 large sized

Coriander Leaves/Kothimbir/Dhania : 1/4 cup 

Malvani Masala Powder : 1 tblsp

Kashmiri Mirchi Powder : 1 tsp

Haldi / Turmeric Powder : a pinch

Kokum : 2 pieces

Jaggery / Goda : One small lemon sized ball.

Oil / Tel : 3-4 tblsp

** For Ground Masala :

Coconut / Soyi : 1 Cup freshly grated.

Coriander Leaves/Kothimbir/Dhania : 1/4 cup 

Coriander /Kothimbir/ Dhania Powder : 1 tblsp

Cumin/Jeera Powder : 1 tsp

Fennel/Badisep/Saunf Powder : 1/2 tsp

Malvani Masala Powder : 2 tblsp

Goda Masala or Garam Masala : 1 tsp

Tamarind/Imly/Chinchama : a very small marble sized ball

** For Garnishing :

Homemade Ghee/Toop : 1 tblsp

Coriander Leaves/Kothimbir/Dhania : 2 tblsp finely chopped. 

** Soak Dried Val / Hyacinth Beans either overnight or for 6-8 hours. Drain off the water and rinse the val well in a colander and then keep it aside for all excess water to drain off. Leave it covered aside to sprout for another 6-8 hours. Once you see the sprouts rinse them again under running water and then add in hot water to the val sprouts and keep it aside for 5-10 minutes. Now you can peel off the skin of the val very easily. Remove the outer skin and keep it ready aside. This is the only hitch in preparing dried val curry as it is really a boring and tedious work of removing the skin of the same. However, the curry does justify the effort. 

** Soak Cashew Nut in 3 cups of hot water for about 2 hours. Add this into the pressure cooker pan along with the water in which it soaked in a layer at the bottom. Now top it with a layer of the val sprouts peeled and kept ready. Check and add in water only if necessary, I have not added more except that in which the cashews were soaked. Pressure cook the Val and Cashew Nuts on medium heat for 2 whistles. Let the pressure drop on its own or after 5-7 minutes if still unable to open the lid, release the pressure by lifting the whistle with the help of tongs and then open the lid. Let it cool down, keep this ready aside. 

** For Grinding of the Masala : Add in freshly grated coconut along with fresh coriander leaves, coriander powder, jeera powder, fennel powder, Malvani Masala powder, Goda Masala or Garam Masala and tamarind to a very smooth paste with little bit of water. Keep this ready aside. 

** Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai/pan, when hot add in cinnamon, coarsely crushed black pepper,  mustard seeds, Kashmiri red chillies cut into two pieces each and curry leaves. When the mustard begin to splutter add in ginger garlic paste and fry on medium heat for a few minutes. Now add in very finely chopped 2 medium sized onions and fry till they are evenly browned on medium heat. Do not let the onion burn, so keep stirring often. 

** Now add in Malvani Masala Powder, Kashmiri Mirchi Powder and haldi powder and fry for a few seconds. Add in the prepared and kept aside ground masala and continue frying on medium heat for at least 8-10 minutes till it sorts of gets well fried and the oil slightly leaves through the sides. 

** Now add in tomato finely chopped and mix well. Add one cup of water and let cook covered on medium-low heat till the tomatoes are well cooked and turn mushy. Press them well with the back of the spatula to release some of the juice from within. Now add in the finely chopped coriander leaves, Kokum, salt to taste and 2 cup of water and bring to a boil. 

** Once the curry comes to a boil, add in the cooked and kept aside Val and Cashew Nuts and mix well. Add in of jaggery grated and continue cooking on slow heat till the jaggery has melted and mixed in well. Simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes or till a lovely aroma fills the home and its done. 

** Remove from fire add in a large tablespoon of homemade fresh ghee and a handful of finely chopped coriander as garnished, cover with a tight lid and keep it aside for about 20-30 minutes for the curry to settle down and get in well infused in its own aroma and it is done. 

** “Hot-n-Spicy Val (Hyacinth Beans)- Cashew Nut Birde/ Malvani Masala Curry” is done and ready to be served. Always serve this steaming hot for best taste with Bombay Pav or roti or any other dish of your choice with which you prefer to relish it. However, personally I find that it tastes best with Pav/Bread dunked and eaten hot, simply awesome. You can also try it with panpolo as I did for breakfast the next day. 

** A few Notes on the Dish : 

** Do try out this delicious dish and relish it with your family and friends. This is supposed to be a very Hot-n-Spicy curry and tastes best that way so do try to make it spicier than your regular dishes. However, you can cut down on the amount of chilly powder and malvani masala powder added if you find the dish is spicier. 

** Again, If you cut down on spice and later on realize that you could have made it spicier, do not be disheartened, it is only a worry when dishes turn spicier than you can enjoy that is the cause of worry. Just heat a tablespoon of oil, when hot add in the required amount of malvani masala or chilly powder and immediately remove from fire and pour it into the curry and mix well. Let rest 5 minutes and you will have a spicier dish the way you want. 

** Coming to the tanginess/tartness level in the curry, it is needed to be kept at that level as the curry is spicy. You may get the feeling that I have added on tomato, kokum and tamarind, which accordingly may turn the dish tangier, don’t worry, it will not, you will be surprised, just like me that the curry absorbs it well and gives out a lovely color and taste too, try it on for yourself once and you will not regret it. 

** This curry is actually prepared with Dried Val/ Hyacinth Beans only and Cashew Nuts are not added to the curry. Addition of cashew nuts is my variation and it turned out lovely, that all who tasted it loved the dish very much. But still, it is your choice and you can leave it out. 

** I have used store bought Malvani Masala Powder and it is available freely in any stores. Do not worry that the powder will go waste, you can add it on in preparation of pulav, egg curries etc. and the dishes turn out very tasty. You can use the search option for it and you will get a few dishes which I have posted before using this masala powder. 

** I have yet to try this curry with other pulses, but I have a strong notion that it will taste great with dried green peas, white peas or black peas too. You can also try it with any other pulses of your interest too, I am sure it will taste great. I will soon try to post the same with other pulses as and when I prepare. 

** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.