Barbatti/Chowlai Phali/Achiyga Payar/Chinese Long Beans

This weekend we had some friends over for dinner and i usually like to cook some simple easy to cook side dish with some special vegetarian or non vegetarian curry to go with rice and chapatti /poori. And i cooked simple Potato - Payar fry and everybody liked it and one of my friend said she has always seen it here in Indian and other Asian shops and always ignored it thinking what to do with it. This incident inspired me to write about simple everyday recipes that can be cooked with this long beans and that start this blog.

In India these bean in light green colour and some times dark green with purple hues in Kerala.So let me start with some of my moms recipes.

Payar Thoran

Payar/Long Beans - 1 cup finely chopped

Water - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

For Grinding : - Grind all the below items very coarsely with very little water

Coconut - 1/4 cup, shredded

Garlic - 1 cloves (optional ,not in original recipe)

Green Chilli - 2

Curry leaves - few leaves

Jeera/Cumin  - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric - 2 pinch

For Tempering :

Onion - 2 tbsp finely , chopped

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilli - 2

Oil - 2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 4 / 5 leaves

Preparation :

1. Grind all the items for grinding and keep it ready.
2. Keep washed finely chopped beans ready.
3. Heat oil in a pan or kadai.
4. Add mustard and wait till mustard starts popping.
5. Add  whole red chilli and onion.
6. Fry  till onion is light golden in color.
7. Add curry leaves fry for a second or two.
8. Add the coconut mixture and cook for 2 min.
9. Add payar and two tbsp of water and salt to taste.
10. Cover and cook till payar is done to your taste.

PS : Garlic is optional , If you are cooking in India u can avoid hing. Hing i have seen gives veggie in US a Indian touch maybe its just my tongue :) .

Payar Mezukuvarrati/Fry

Step I 

Payar/Long Beans - 1 cup ,cut in one inch piece

Onion - 2 tbsp ,chopped 

Green Chilli - 2 slit into half
Turmeric - 1/8 tsp

Water

Salt

1. Mix all and add water till it covers 1/2 of the Payar in which ever dish you are cooking.
2. Cook the vegetable till tender and drain and keep aside.

Step II : For Tempering 

Onion /Shallots - 2 tbsp finely chopped

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilli - 2

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 4 /5 leaves

Preparation :

1. Heat oil in a pan or kadai.
2. When hot enough ,add hing and mustard.
3. When mustard start popping add red chilli and onion.
4. Fry till onion is light golden in color and add curry leaves.
5. Add cooked beans and cook for a min or so
6. Add cooked Payar and cook for some 2-3 min.

PS: I have used ground nuts but traditionally it is not used

Potato-Payar Fry

Step I :

Payar/LongBeans - 1 cup ,chopped in one inch piece

Onion - 2 tbsp chopped in one inch pieces

Green Chilli - 2 split and cut in one inch pieces

Tumeric - 2-3 big pinches

Water

Salt

1. Mix all and add water till it covers 1/3 of the Payar in which ever dish you are cooking.
2. Cook the vegetable till tender and drain and keep aside.

Step II:

Potato - 1/2 cup chopped in one inch on pieces

For Tempering :

Onion /Shallots - 2 tbsp finely chopped

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Dry Red Chilli - 2

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 4 /5 leaves

Preparation :

1. Heat oil in a pan or kadai
2. When hot enough and mustard.
3. When mustard start popping, add red chilli ,onion and potato.
4. When Potato is almost tender , add curry leaves ,red chilli powder .
5. Cook for a min and add the cooked beans and fry for another 3-4 min.

Peanut - Payar with Tomato and Peanut

Payar - 1 cup ,chopped in one inch piece

Onion - 1/4 cup chopped finely

Tomoato - 1/2 cup chopped finely

Green Chilli - 2 chopped finely

Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Peanut - 1 tbsp

Tumeric - 2-3 big pinches

Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation :

1. Heat oil in a pan or kadai
2. When hot enough add  onion and fry just translucent .
3. Add peanut and cook for 3 -4 min .
4. Add ginger -garlic paste and cook till the raw smell vanishes.
5. Add tumeric and red chilli powder and mix well.
6. Add tomato , cover and cook till oil starts to seperate.
7. Add long beans ,cover and cook till the it is cooked .It may take some 7- 10 min.
8. Add garnish it with corrinader leaves.

Payar Kondattum

Payar - Cut into two inches long and dry in the sun.

Fry in hot oil and sprinkle with little salt.

Goes very well with Sambar and rice or Curd Rice.

This being my first post i enjoyed putting down what was in my mind on paper and i hope cooks coming to this page will enjoy too.

I would love to add visitors Payar recipe to the page if somebody like to share their recipe with me.

This was Navarathri week and my husband fasts just for eating all the north indian goodies cooked during the fast so next i'm planning to write about all dishes i learned and now prepares for him.