Indian broad beans / Chikkudikaaya Tomato Curry

Chikkudukaaya tomato with some more chikkudllu from my garden

Weather is cooling down, we are getting ready to fall and so are all the vegetables in my back yard.

This week end I spent some time in my back yard, picking up some vegetables which I consider might be my last crop for the season.

I have good amount of these broad beans that I might miss during the winter (even though we can cook the frozen stuff, its no where near to my fresh beans)

Broad beans are always exciting to cook, they have a more prominent beany taste and the seeds inside are plump, and buttery. Back in Andhra, it is a popular vegetable to grow in backyards. Very nourishing and tasty.

Back in India, We have a big vine of these plants in my back yard and I am not that  much of a big fan then, but now I crave for this vegetable all the time. I think the cravings have something to do with their non-availability.

Ingredients-

• 20 Indian broad beans (with the seeds, those are the ones that give the rich flavor to the dish) washed and stringed along the sides.
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp of turmeric
• 1 tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, channa dal
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 garlic clove chopped
• 1 stalk of curry leaves

Directions-

1. Wash the broad beans and remove the ends and string them (pluck the end of a bean, and pull downward; if a thick thread comes away, the bean need stringing, so do the same on the other side)
2. Pluck the beans into small pieces, with your hands.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, channa dal, red chilies, garlic and curry leaves.
4. Add onions and sauté them until transparent, now add tomatoes and close the lid, when they are softened, add the cut broad beans.
5. Add salt, chili powder and saute all of them together for a min with the lid closed.
6. Add ¼ cup of water and close the lid with the whistle, let it whistle 2 times.
7. Allow all the pressure to cool off, open the lid , adjust the taste if needed and cook it further to the required consistency.
8. Enjoy this classic nutty and buttery, Andhra curry with rice or chapathi or roti.

Chikkudukaaya tomato