Awarekai Kai Chitranna

Awarekai or field beans or flat beans, as I said before, we get lot of this crop during winter months. Each and every meal do contain Awarekai in most of the house hold cooking especially in Karnataka. Whether its lunch, breakfast, snack or even dinner, it has something Awarekai in it. The use of Awarekai is more here in Karnataka since it is comparetively cheaper and grown in most of the places. It helps to keep our  body warm and healthy during winter months. One more good point is Awarekai goes very well with almost all the dishes. We can accomodate awarekai in rice items, or curry items or with rava, wheat or any kind of flour and even fries.( many fried items can be prepared). Might be the accomodating quality also has made Awarekai very popular pod.
Anyway, some one has suggested and inspired me to try out something really South Canara dish with Awarekai.  Here is a South Canara popular dish, Kai  Sasive chithranna.(Coconut,  Mustard seeds Chitranna).  Kai chitranna is a very famous dish, during festivals or some programmes we do prepare Kai chitranna and I hope You too will like it. Do prepare and enjoy eating Awarekai Kai Chitranna.
 Things Needed:
Rice : 2 Cups
Awarekai : 1 to 1/2 cups
Red chilly : 4 to 6
Mustard Seeds : 2 Tea spoon
Tamarind Pulp : 2 Table spoons
Urd dal :1 Tea spoon
Oil : 2 Table spoons
Coconut : 1 Cup
Jaggery : 2 Table spoon
Turmeric Powder : a pinch
Salt : as required
Ghee : 2 Table spoons
Curry leaves : 6 yo10
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Table spoons.
Ingh (Asafetida) : a pinch

Method :
1. Wash and cook raw rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.(propotion of rice and water is 1=2).
2. Wash and pressure cook Awarekai and keep it aside.
3. Wash curry leaves, coriander leaves and grate coconut and keep it aside.

4. Dry grind grated coconut, red chilly, 1 tea spoon of mustard seeds and Asafetida.

5. Keep a pan on the fire. Put oil and heat. Put 1 spoon of mustard seeds, urd dal.
6, Let the mustard spurt. Add 1 red chilly to the spurt. Add curry leaves and ingh.
7. Add tamarind pulp, jaggery, salt and turmeric powder to the spurt mixture.
8. Let this mixture cook for 3 to 4 minutes. It starts to thickens.

9. Stir in between till it thickens. Now add ground coconut mixture and mix it well.

10. Add cooked Awarekai and rice to the coconut mixture and mix it well. Add ghee and mix.it well.
11. Put coriander leaves on the top and shift Awaekai Chitranna to a serving bowl.

12. Serve with a cup of curd or according to your wish.

Note : To get tamarind pulp , soak tamarind in warm or hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze out the pulp and use the pulp. You can use chily according to your wish. You can also use less oil. Using ghee is better for health. You can also use cashew nuts or ground nuts to get the dish more delicious. You can also try this dish with Peas or some vegetables like beans or capsicum.
Time : 40 minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4

Awarekai Saagu with Roti

Aware kai is also called as field beans. It is a winter crop and you get awarekai, during this perioud of November to January. Many dishes are prepared using Awarekai. A few examples like Aware kai saru, upma, idli, Dosa, Rotti and also different types of curries according to their region.
Like other pods Awarekai is also has many good health benifites. Like wise it is full of vitamins and contain lots of minerals.
This recipe is Awarekai Sagu. I have used awarekai, corianderseeds, jeera, fresh clove and a smll piec of cinemon green chilly, ginger and pepper pods. This is a spicy curry and it goes well with chapati, roti, poori, dosa or even idli. Even during Upavas (Ekadashi and other fasting days you can prepare this dish).
I also prepared Roti using the large amount of wheat flour and a Table spoon of maida and a pinch of salt and curd.
I am sure every one will like this combination of Awarekai-Roti and njoy eating together.

This Recipe is without onions and garlic. 

Awarekai Saagu
Things needed :
Awarekai : 2 cups
Roasted Chenna (Putani or hurikadale) : 2 Table spoons
Ginger : 1 Inch
Coconut : 1 /2 Cup
Green chilly : 2
Tamarind or Lemon juice : 1 Table spoon
Coriander leaves : 1/2 bundle ( small bunch)
Cinemon : a small piece
Cloves : 5 to 6
Coriander seeds : 1 Table spoon
Jeera (cumin seeds) : 1 Tea spoon
Home made cream : 2 Table spoons (Optional)
Salt: to taste
Oil : 1 Table spoon

Method :
1. Wash and cook Awarekai in a pressure cooker for 6 to 8 minutes and keep it aside to cool.

2. Wash coriander leaves, ginger and green chilly. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
3. Now grind grated coconut, cloves, coriander seeds, coriander leaves, roasted chenna, 1/2 tea spoon of jeera, cinemon and tamarind (marble size tamarind will do) with required water till paste.

4. Keep a pan on the fire. Heat and put oil.

5. Put 1/2 spoon of jeera and fry for 10 seconds, Add ground masala and cooked Awarekai. Add water if required.

6. Add salt and mix it well. Let it cook nicely for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in between to see it does not get burnt.

7. Shift the Awarekai Saagu to the serving dish and put fresh cream.( I have used the cream which i get after boiling milk). (Its optional).

Awarekai Saagu is ready to serve.

Note : You can also prepare this saagu with peas, channa or pigeon pea pods. You can add spices according to your wishes (less or more). Using the cream is optional. You can add fresh butter. Remember using less fat is good for health. Using Onions and garlic is also optional. Just fry cut onions and garlic pod with jeera or fry galic ginger paste and add onions, then add cooked awarekai and cook for 3 minutes. Then add ground coconut mixture.

Roti
Things needed
Wheat flour : 2 cups
Maida (All purpose flour) : 2 Table spoons
Curd : 2 Table spoon
Salt : a little
Oil : 1 Table spoon

Method :

1. Put wheat flour and maida in a big bowl.
2. Add curd, oil and salt.
3. Mix it nicely and then add water little by little and prepare chapati dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
4. Now kneed the dough again and divide them in to small portion and make like small balls.

5. Take one small ball and roll them with a roller like chapti. Let it be little thicker than chapati

6. Keep a tava on the fire. Heat and put this roti and let it cook for 1 minute. Turn the oter side and cook for 10 seconds.

7. Now put this roti on the gas flame and cook for a few seconds. It givs a Roti look and taste.

8 Roast on both side and put it in a serving plate and serve with Awarekai Saagu.

Repeat the same with the remaining dough.
Note: Let the dough be soft. Do not roll in thin chapati. You can also cook on tava too.

Awarekai Saagu with Roti
Time : 4o mins
Serves : 3 to 4