This curry made from dried fish crumbs is a delicacy among the coastal village households mostly – is very healthy too as the dried fish are rich in vitamin-D.
Ingredients
- Butter beans – 100 g
- Water – 500 ml (for boiling)
- Ribbon dried fish – 4 pieces
- Tomato – 2 (medium sized)
- Oil – 100 ml
- Drumstick – 1
- Green Chilli – 2
- Small Onion – 15
- Curry leaves – 20
- Garlic – 10 cloves
- Salt – 1/2 tablespoon
- Fenugreek – 1/4 tablespoon
- Fennel seeds – 1/4 tablespoon
- Turmeric powder – 100 grams
- Bengal gram – 100 grams
- Kashmiri chilli powder – 1/4 tablespoon
- Brinjal – 200 grams
- Tamarind – 25 grams
Preparing our ‘Special Masala’
- Cumin – 100 grams
- Red chilli – 500 grams
- Coriander – 750 grams
- Poppy seeds – 50 grams
- Fennel Seeds – 50 grams
Fry the above-mentioned 5 items in an open pan – let them cool – grind them well without adding water.
This special masala powder should be stored in a glass bottle having a tight lid to avoid getting spoiled.
Things to be done before we start cooking
- Wash the butter beans and let it dry.
- Wash ‘ribbon dried fish’ – keep it aside to dry.
- Peel the skin of 15 small onions – no need to cut.
- Chop the 2 tomatoes and brinjals.
- Cut drumstick into smaller pieces.
- Soak 25 grams of tamarind (just the size of a lemon is enough) in water for 20 minutes.
- Fry 100 grams of Bengal gram and 100 grams of turmeric powder together in a pan. Grind them into a fine powder using our mixer machine and store in a dry container.
Steps to Prepare
(1) Place a pan on the big burner – keep the flame in HIGH mode. Let the pan get hot. We need to fry the butter beans before boiling them – this is done to get a good flavour at the end.
(2) Add 100 grams of cleaned and dried butter beans to the hot pan.
Start frying the butter beans till they turn a little brown in colour.
Remove the pan from the burner.
(3) Place another 3 litres capacity pan on the big burner.
Put the fried beans into this pan – Then pour 500 ml of water.
Let the water boil in HIGH flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
After that turn the flame to LOW mode – let the butter beans get boiled for another 15 minutes.
- Or else, we can use a ‘pressure cooker’ to boil the beans.
- Just take the fried butter beans in a cooker, pour just 300 ml of water.
- Let the cooker give off 4 whistles – turn off the burner – our beans will have got cooked.
(4) We can either use a “Clay pot” or a normal pan to prepare this dish.
Compared to a normal pan, cooking in clay pot will enhance the taste of curry.
Place a “clay pot” or the regular 3 litres pan on the big burner.
(5) Pour 100 ml of ground nut oil (we can also use refined or palm oil also).
Groundnut oil is a more preferred one for making this curry.
(6) Once the oil gets hot, start adding the below items in it –
- Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tablespoon
- Fennel seeds – 1/4 tablespoon
Stir a little for 10 seconds.
(7) Turn flame to LOW mode. Then add small onions – 15 (peeled – no need to cut).
Stir a little till onion turns into a glossy look – no need to fry till it becomes light brown.
(8) Add the ‘ribbon dried fish’ – cut into 4 smaller pieces. Stir for 60 seconds.
(9) Then add –
- Green chillies – 2
- Curry leaves – 20
- Garlic – 10 cloves
- Tomatoes – 2 (chop and add)
- Salt – 1/2 tablespoon
- Kashmiri chilli powder – 1/4 tablespoon
- Special Masala (that we prepared initially) – 2 tablespoons
- Brinjal – 200 grams
- Drumstick – 1
- Tamarind water – (25 grams of tamarind soaked in water)
Stir well for 15 seconds.
(10) Pour 500 ml of water – so that more curry comes out – can easily serve 5 to 6 people.
Stir for another 30 seconds.
(11) Now let’s add the boiled butter beans and stir for 5 seconds.
Then let’s add 1 tablespoon of the ‘bengal gram-turmeric powder’ mixture.
(12) Stir well – then let’s keep flame in HIGH mode for 2 minutes.
Then, turn the flame to LOW mode – Close with a suitable lid.
Let the contents boil for another 15 minutes in low flame.
(13) After 15 minutes of cooking in low flame, turn off the flame.
That’s all guys, our curry is ready to be tasted and devoured.
This curry compliments good with white rice. Enjoy folks!
