Thengaai Arachavitta Kariamudhu ( Poriyal )| Vegetable stir fry with coconut paste

Thenga Araichuvitta kariamudhu  / stir fry used to be a regular at my mom's place and I have also eaten quite a few times at some weddings here in Bangalore,Karnatka .  Kariamudhu is a typical iyengar jargon for poriyal / curry /stir fry .

Thenga is coconut and Araichuvitta means grind ,so basically we make a quick masala by grinding fresh coconut, jeera ,chilli and some salt.  This spice mix is added to the tempered and boiled vegetables. 

By and large in South Indian cuisine, fresh grated coconut is added in the end after the stir fry is prepared but this slight twist in the addition of ground coconut paste ,elevates the flavor profile and enhances the taste of the curry .

This stir fry is not anything complex of different , instead of the usual fresh coconut scraping garnish, we grind the coconut with a few spices and add it to the cooked veggies and saute it for a few minutes . I love this  stir fry with beans , chayote / chou chou , carrot or  beans - carrot combo .

At home ,I make araichuvitta kariamudhu (poriyal) stir fry using

• Beetroot
• Cabbage
• Cabbage + Peas
• Carrots 
• Cabbage +Carrot + Beans 
• Carrot + Peas 

Below recipe uses beans and carrot as the main ingredient ,but you can use the same recipe for preparing the stir fry  using any of the veggies mentioned above . Beetroot Thenga araichuvitta kariamudhu is also simply lipsmacking. 

Some more simple and tasty curries on my blog  

• Cabbage Peas Poriyal 
• Chou chou carrot poriyal 
• Beans paruppu Usili
• Vazhakkai (raw banana) Roast 
• Urulai (Potato) Kaara Curry 
• Baby Potato Roast 

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Complexity : Medium
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients
150 gms french beans
2 medium carrots
3 tablespoons fresh coconut scrapings
1 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
2-3 green chillies (mildly spiced)
fresh corriander chopped - handful
1 tsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste

Method

• Chop the beans and carrot into small cubes and wash it well and drain .
• In a mixie jar / blender . Quick blend/pulse the coconut, jeera, chillies and corriander leaves. Do not add any water, just a pulse or two so that the ingredients are all crushed well. Keep aside.
• In a pan / kadai , heat the oil and temper it with mustard seeds, asafoetida and add the chopped beans and carrot with some salt , add some water and let it cook well. Cook covered with a snall opening such that the steam can escape and the color of the beans and carrot is retained.
• Check occasionally to ensure that the vegetables donot charr / burn due to inadequate water. Adjust water if needed and let it cook to be soft but not mushy. Alternatively ,you may also steam the veggies before hand or even microwave them .
• Once the water is all evaporated and veggies cooked well, add in the ground paste and stir well and cook for just 1-2 mins and turn off the stove.
• Serve it along with Sambar , Rasam and Piping Hot rice and ghee.