“Avarekalu- Pova Usli (Avalakki Oggarane/ Seasoned Hyacinth Beans- Beaten Rice Upma)” … a simple, healthy, tasty, tummy filling- easy to prepare breakfast item from the southern parts of India (Karnataka) … serve it hot for best of taste along with steaming hot coffee/ tea … Yummilicious ..
** Avarekalu in English is known as Hyacinth Beans/ flat beans/ lima beans/ field beans while in Gujrati it is famously referred to as Surti Papdi and in Marathi it is called Vaal and I guess there are many more names as per the region throughout the country. These light green colored beans are added to plenty of dishes like usli, saaru, saagu, upma, pulav etc. though a little bit tedious as we need to remove them from pods, nevertheless they taste great when added to dishes, so do give a try if available.
** Coming to poha/ beaten rice/ avalakki all Indians are aware of it and are sure to prepare them often in their home. Poha is available in thick/ thin/ medium texture and here I have used the thick variety which needs to be rinse and allowed to rest before preparing the dish. Simple pova usli is one of the favorite breakfast dish of GSB Konkani Saraswat’s while there are plenty other dishes that are prepared regularly too. I will be sharing a common link to them all at the bottom of this recipe for easy reference.
** In these times of hectic lifestyle, it is always advisable to stock up on poha as it hardly takes time to cook and falls in very handy when you have unannounced guest dropping by or simple when you feel hungry. Here I have prepared pova usli including onions and avarekalu and it tastes simply awesome. A flavorful healthy tummy filling breakfast is always appealing to all and is a must to those who need to leave home to work. Do try this simple dish and enjoy with your family and friends be it for breakfast or tiffin.
** Here is my recipe for “Avarekalu- Pova Usli (Avalakki Oggarane/ Seasoned Hyacinth Beans- Beaten Rice Upma)” … my Style …
** Ingredients :
Thick White Povu/ (Jada Poha/ Dappa Avalakki/ Tthick white Beaten Rice) : 2 cups
Avarekalu/ Hyacinth Beans/ Flat beans/ Lima beans/ Field Beans/ Surti Papdi/ Vaal : 1 cup
Onion/ Kanda/ Piyavu : 2 medium sized finely chopped.
Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal : ½ cup freshly grated.
Urad Dal/ Black Gram Dal : 1 tblsp
Mustard Seeds/ Rai/ Sasam :1 tsp
Green Chilly/ Tarni Mirsanga/ Hari mirchi : 3-4 cut into pieces
Ginger/ Adrak/ Alle’ : ¼ inch grated
Hing/ Asafoetida Powder : ½ - 1 tsp
Haldi/ Turmeric Powder : ½ tsp
Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 10-12 fresh ones
Lemon/ Limbiyo/ Nimboo : 1 small sized.
Coriander Leaves/ Dhania/ Kottambari Pallo : handful finely chopped (I did not add)
Table Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
Ghee/ Toop : 1 tblsp
Coconut Oil/ Nariyal Tel/ Narlel Tela/ Tengina Yenne : 2-3 tblsp
** Pick, clean and sieve in a colander thick white povu. Now in the same colander rinse poha well under running water for about 2 minutes taking care to see that all of the poha has been well rinsed and is thoroughly wet. This step is absolutely necessary, so do not skip it, also avoid soaking poha in water lest it turns mushy.
** Shake and drain excess water and then let it rest for 15-20 minutes, this helps in getting perfectly softened poha for preparing soft textured usli/ upma. Just before tempering, shake the colander lightly and loosen the poha so that it separates well. You can also use a fork to fluff it up a bit and keep it ready aside.
** Note : Please do not soak the poha in water as it may turn out soggy and mushy, losing its texture completely. The little water that remains on the poha/ beaten rice is sufficient for the poha to absorb in and soften (Check picture).
** Shell and collect the Avarekalu, rinse well and then cook in a small vessel with enough water until 80%, remove and keep it aside ready. You can pressure cook to one whistle only in which case you should be careful and avoid over cooking. You can also Micro Wave it for 5-7 minutes which is what I followed.
** In a thick bottomed kadai/ pan, add coconut oil+ ghee, when hot lower the heat to medium and add urad dal, when it’s slightly browned add mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add urad dal, green chillies cut to pieces, hing powder, haldi powder, grated ginger, curry leaves and fry all together for a few seconds only.
** Now add chopped onion and fry on medium heat for a few minutes until it turns translucent. Lastly add the cooked avarekalu draining away excess water and mix well. Add salt to taste, mix well, cover and let cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
** Add half of the pova/ poha kept in colander to ingredients in kadai, mix well then add rest of poha in colander, coconut gratings and give a mix to all ingredients taking care to see that the tempering has been evenly spread over the poha.
** If you find usli too dry then sprinkle some water in between and mix all ingredients well. Cover with tight lid and let cook on its own steam for 5-7 minutes or until soft and done while mixing it in between a few times to avoid it being burnt at the bottom of the kadai. Mixing should be done gently to avoid crushing poha.
** Note : Mixing it well in between a few times throughout the process of cooking will help in avoiding it sticking to the bottom of kadai, so, do watch out. The poha/ pova usli should be thoroughly heated to avoid it turning rancid.
** Lastly add freshly squeezed out juice of lemon and mix well for a few minutes taking care to see that all ingredients are evenly cooked. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves, mix well and avarekalu pova usli is done.
** Note : Traditional pova usli does not include lemon, onion, coriander leaves which you will find while browsing through shared link below, however for Kanda Poha in Maharashtra these are included, however, I did not add coriander leaves as I ran out of stock, you may add them, as it tastes wonderful.
** “Avarekalu- Pova Usli (Avalakki Oggarane/ Seasoned Hyacinth Beans- Beaten Rice Upma)” is done and ready to be served for breakfast or evening tiffin as is your choice. Pova usli, kanda poha, avarekalu poha, poha chutney or any other poha (beaten rice) dishes are all excellent choices to be included in your diet routines as they are not only easy to prepare but nutritious too. These days even nutritionists recommend them while our ancestors always insisted on serving it for evening snacks as being a joint family morning breakfast items were usually Idly, dosa, shevai etc.
** Do try this simple dish and enjoy with your family, sure to be loved by all. Best for those in between hungers during holidays or to be served to unexpected guests. So next time, do not reach out for 2 minute noodles or quick home delivery services, stock up poha at home and just go ahead and prepare these easy dishes and enjoy them with your family and friends. When you make it routine of adding these common dishes handed out to us down generations you family is sure to get into a better eating habits.
** I am sharing a common link to all “Pova Usli” recipes shared in the blog before, you may browse through and try them out too …
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