Butter Beans Varuval (fry)

Salmonella in tomatoes! That is a scary proposition but then this one of those times I am truly happy about the Indian way of cooking everything to death. As long as we don't eat raw tomatoes, I guess we should be OK. I heard an FDA sepcialist or maybe she was from the CDC, discuss how they detect the kinds of tomatoes are affected. Interviewing each infected person and by process of elimintation focus on the foods they ate most recently and arrive at the one that was consumed by all of them and then zero in on the coomon suspect. Similar to old fashioned shoe leather hard detective work. So wash them tomatoes thoroughly and cook them before eating.

Now to the star of the recipe - Butter beans.
Loved eating fresh Butter Beans every now and then back home in India. Lucky Valli over at Cooking 4 all Seasons enjoyed them just recently, wish I could get hold of some. I can hardly remember the taste of those, since its been a while I have eaten them, other than the fact that I really really liked them. But not to despair, Lima Beans, the Butter Beans around here are just as good. Unlike mine, onion based gravies from my mothers's kitchen is rare but for a tiny bit of onion she uses, like in this delicious varuval.

Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 Cups of large Lima Beans soaked overnight
2. 2 Green Chilis slit
3. Curry Leaves
4. 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
5. 1/2 inch piece of ginger pounded
6. 1 tsp oil

For the Paste
1. 2 Red chilis
2. 1/2 tomato chopped
3. 2 tbsp chopped onion
4. 3/4 tbsp coriander seeds
5. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
6. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
saute the onion and tomato in just a bit of oil and dry roast the rest and make a paste using only about 1/2 tbsp of water

Method
1. Boil the soaked butter beans in a pan with the pounded ginger till just soft and discard the ginger. (Pressure cooker is fine but be careful not to turn it into mush, cooks really quick)
2. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan, add the curry leaves, green chilis and fennel seeds
3. Add the ground masala and saute till raw smell goes.
4. Add the cooked butter beans and salt.
5. Saute till the masala is well coated and dry.

Serve as a side dish with sambhar/rice/curd rice.

Summer Treat

chopped, sliced or juiced - simply the best.

Other Butter Bean Recipes:
1. Cauliflower and Butter Beans Gravy