Vanpayar Thoran | Kerala Style Red Cow Beans Thoran

I love eating legumes.. And lentils too :) And for me this is one favorite way to eat Vanpayar (Red Eyed Beans).. I loove to pair it with some moru kachiyathu, matta rice and any non vegetarian dry dish. Ahh, bliss :) I like it more when I add some grated coconut to it but Deeps and Dhruv prefer it without coconut. It is such a simple dish and comes in very handy when you run out of stock of veggies :) Only thing to remember is to soak the beans overnight :) So shall we see how to make this yummy & simple thoran..

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Soaking Time: 8 hours

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Red Eyed Beans/Vanpayar	-	¼ cup heaped
Coconut Oil	-	2-3 tbsp
Mustard Red Chilly	- -	¼ tsp 2-3 nos (broken)
Shallots Garlic	- -	12-15 nos (sliced) 5 nos (sliced)
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Salt	-	As needed

The Way:

1. Rinse and soak the vanpayar/red beans overnight for around 8 hours. While making the thoran, discard the water. Take the beans in a pressure cooker. Add enough water (around 2 cups) and salt and pressure cook till done. It took me 2 whistles in high and 2 in low. Keep aside

2. Meanwhile peel and slice the shallots and garlic

3. Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds

4. Then add the sliced shallots and curry leaves

5. Also add in the sliced garlic and saute till they slightly turn colour and become soft (around 6-7 minutes)

6. Now add in the boiled beans/vanpayar and give a stir. Keep on high flame and allow all the water to evaporate off (If you like it semi dry, then you can adjust the consistency accordingly) 

7. Finally add the grated coconut and saute for another minute or two. Switch off the flame and serve with a gravy of your choice

Notes:

• Do not cook the beans very mushy. It tastes nicer when they are not soggy and just cooked right
• If you like the dish super dry, then saute coconut first for a minute or two after the shallots and garlic have changed colour. Then finally add the cooked beans
• if you do not like garlic flavour, you can skip that

Cheers,
Chitz