Payathangaai Poriyal / Karamani Thoran / Longyard beans stir fry (Vegan & Saatvik)

 Payathangaai , karamani , chowli or Long beans is a nutrient rich and powerhouse of natural fibre coupled with antioxidants and immune boosting properties. 

A green vegetable widely used in India in various forms makes it the most sought after vegetable . As the beans reach almost 2 to 3 feet in length they are known as long yard beans . These belong to the cow pea family popularly known as lobia ,chowli or karamani . 

The beans are thin ,long ,slender and very tender . They look very appealing to the eye when we see it and are stocked up as bundles since they are long .  Very easy to cook and it can blend in very easily with all sorts of seasonings and flavorings . Normally prepared as stir fries,  steamed and used in salads or mild vegetable stews .

It is good to incorporate the payathangaai in your day to day meals as it is rich in fibre and also potassium, magnesium, vitamins C and A .

A vegetable which is heart friendly due to potassium content and gut friendly due to fibre content.  The fibre content prevents constipation and the potassium present in the chowli helps to maintain the BP and in turn helps and protects the heart.

The magnesium, zinc ,vitamins C and A help in maintaining the over all cell growth in the body and helps in having a good metabolism due to the antioxidants present . 

The recipe that I am sharing today is a very simple yet flavorful curry/stir fry made using karamani and very popular in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.  This version is a no Onion No Garlic recipe but you may use finely chopped shallots for added flavor.  

In Kerala,  Onam Sadhya has payathangai thoran as one of the menu items and in Tamil homes ,this is made as a part of regular meals . Since it is a native bean like cluster beans and flat beans , karamani is widely used during Pithru Paksham (mahalaya Paksham) where we tend to consume only native vegetables. 

The recipe uses very little oil and just 2 tbsp of fresh coconut for seasoning, making it a very healthy and diet friendly preparation. 

Preparation Time  - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 10 mins
Complexity- easy 
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

250 gms karamani/chowli/ long yard beans
2 tsp oil (coconut oil or any non flavored oil) 
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dhall
Few curry leaves 
Pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste 
To grind 
2 tbsp fresh coconut 
2 green chillies 
1/2 tsp jeera /cumin

Method

• Trim the top and end of the long beans and chop them finely.  Wash well and keep aside .
• Coarsely grind the coconut, green chillies and jeera in a blender . We will use this for flavoring the poriyal/thoran.
• In a thick bottomed pan,heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds, udad dhall until golden brown followed by curry leaves and asafoetida.  
• Add the chopped karamani, give a quick stir . Add the required amount of salt and add 1/4 cup water and cook covered for 7 to 8 min until the beans are cooked well and tender .There should be no water left in the pan .
• If at all you see some water is left,  cook uncovered for a few more minutes until the water evaporates .
• Now add the coconut mixture,  give a quick stir, cover the poriyal and turn off the stove.  Let the stir fry rest for a few minutes until all the flavors are absorbed well into the beans .
• Transfer to a serving bowl and serve it with a choice of sambar rice,  rasam rice etc . 

Some more healthy and tasty stir fries /poriyal that you may like 

• Cabbage peas poriyal 
• Beans carrot poriyal 
• Chou chou poriyal (chayote poriyal) 

Mini North Indian Thaali - No Onion No Garlic (Pitru Paksh Special)

 It is that time off the year ,when almost every household in India observes a 15 day Vegetarian meal only  food practice . Yes,it is Pitru Paksha ,also known as Mahalaya Paksha . 

These fifteen days starting from Poornima /Pournami (Full Moon Day) to Amavasya / Amavasai (New Moon day) people abstain from eating non veg , alcohol and also most people avoid the usage of Onion,garlic as part of their  cooking. 

Pithru Paksh / Shraadh Paksh is one fortnight where we pay obeisance to the departed souls ..it is believed that during this period ,our ancestors visit our homes to bless us and partake the food offered to them as part of the ritual.

If you ever thought, that cooking without Onion and Garlic will not make a tasty meal,then you are mistaken my dear friends. 

Here,I have a curated a simple Thaali with lipsmacking delicacies made totally without Onion and Garlic. Click the links below to get a detailed recipe of every item on the Thaali . You can include Fulkas or Puris if you want it to be a little more elaborate. 

Menu on the frame ,
Jeera Rice 

Matar Paneer 

Boondi Raita 

Masala Chaas 

Arisi Upma | Broken rice upma | Akkithari Uppit - Video Recipe

Arisi upma or Broken rice upma is a very staple breakfast or dinner in most tamil homes. If you have rice rava handy then its a breeze to make this upma as it gets done in less than 15-20 mins.

 Once the upma is ready,allow a standing time of min 20 mins to get the perfect crumbly and grainy texture . We call it Udhur Udhur Upma ,I don't know the exact translation for this in English; as it is a texture to be felt and enjoyed .

Arisi upma is a very filling breakfast and can keep be eaten for brunch as well. Tamil Brahmins have arisi upma on Ekadasi , during Pitru Paksh or even on Amavasya night for dinner when the men folk are not allowed to eat rice at night after performing the Tharpanam .

Having rice rava handy at home,this upma comes to my rescue even as a dinner option when I am pressed for time or run out of options. Serve this upma with coconut chutney,tomato gothsu/ tomato gojju or as is with just a cup of plain curds it tastes heavenly.

I am including the method of making rice rava at home which I normally follow. There are different ways in which you can make rice rava at home.  

I have included the different methods of making rice rava at home. You may use the regular white rice or even the brown unpolished rice.  Pls donot use any aromatic rice variety like basmati, jeera Samba, jasmine rice etc. 

Jain version : Skip the ginger and follow the recipe as is

   How to make rice rava /akki thari / kurunai at home?

Rice rava is known as Arisi kurunai in Tamil and Akki Tharri in Kannada.  Kurunai and Tharri means coarsely broken bits of any grain (wheat , millets,rice etc) 

Method 1 

• Pulse the required quantity of   raw rice  in a mixer grinder . The texture should be slightly coarse and granular as compared to the regular upma rava .

Method 2 

• Wash and drain the required quantity of rice in a colander and leave it for half an hour .
• The water will drain completely and the rice would have soaked well . If you touch the rice with your palm it shouldn't be wet and must easily fall off your palm when you shake . This means the rice is well soaked and ready to be pulsed in the blender .
• Add it to the blender and pulse until you get a coarse and grainy texture .

Method 3 

(Updated in Oct 2024)

• Soak  and drain the rice as in Method 2.
• For 1 cup of rice, dry roast 2 tsp thoor dhall, 3 to 4 dry red chillies ,1tsp pepper ,1tsp jeera and curry leaves until the dhall turns golden brown. Let this cool.
• Pulse this roasted ingredients along with the drained and soaked rice till you get the coarse rava texture.  

(This 3rd method of making rice rava ,I recently learnt through a reel on Instagram and I must say the taste of arisi upma was too good . The color wasn't pure white like how arisi upma normally looks,but taste was outstanding)

Now ,let us see how to make arisi upma using home made rice rava . The entire post has undergone a cosmetic change in terms of adding clear and better pictures along with some tips and tricks to get a perfect Arisi upma .  Hope all my readers find it useful. 

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Cooking Time - 15 mins

Standing Time - 15-20 mins

Complexity - medium 

Ingredients

1 cup rice rava

3 cups water 

2 green chillies finely chopped 

2 dry red chillies 

(skip if your rice rava already has red chillies) 

1 tsp finely chopped ginger

Handful of curry leaves 

2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil / regular cooking oil 

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp udad dhall

1 tsp channa dhall

1/4 cup fresh grated coconut 

Method 

Prerequisite

Using thick bottom pan is very important as we will be doing slow cooking and don't want the upma to get burnt . Pressure cooker vessel is ideal for making this upma or a huge bronze pot(vengala paanai) 

** I have used rice rava made using method 3 for making arisi upma in the pictures that you are seeing on the post now. 

• Heat oil in the pan and crackle the mustard seeds , channa dhall and udad dhall till it turns brown.
• Fry the green chillies , curry leaves,  ginger along with asafoetida. 
• Add in the 3 cups of water will required about of salt and let it come to a rolling boil. 
• Carefully add the rice rava and keep stirring constantly to avoid lumps . (Or)
• Roast the rice rava lightly and add 3 cups of boiling water and salt into the pan ,this will prevent lumps.
• Add the grated coconut, mix everything well ,reduce the flame to low ,close with a lid and continue cooking on low flame for 10 mins.
• Open after 10 mins ,give it a good mix ,close again and cook for another 5 mins on low.  
• You can see that the rice rava has absorbed all the water and the upma looks fluffy and well done .
• Turn off the stove and let it sit for 10 mins before serving.
• You can add some ghee on top while serving.
• I paired the arisi upma with milagu kuzhambu from lunch ,coconut chutney and thick home made curd.  You can also pair it with tomato gojju or just plain curd .

(Check the video link above to get  a first hand demonstration of making arisi upma and do subscribe to my channel if you feel like  )