Achinga payar mezhukkupuratti - Long beans/Yardlong beans stirred fry

Home is where the heart is. The familiarity of what to expect might the solace that the comfort of home provides

Kuravilangad is my mother's hometown where I spent the first few years of my childhood. We had a joint family and our ancestral home was a buzz of young uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins and lots of people who helped with the farms and fields. It was a festival everyday for the little me!

The farms and fields were active with a variety of crops and the harvest seasons were so full of activity. My! My! :D

While my grandfather managed the fields with the yields that had to go on sale, my grandmother and uncles had their own space to grow what they wanted. While ammachi used her space to grow veggies for the household, for my uncles, it was a means of earning their pocket money :D :D

The kitchen garden grew various veggies at various times of the year: kovakka, pavakka, achinga payar, brinjal, chillies, tomato, tamarind and so many more. So the dishes were a variety. There was never a question of being bored with a dish and no repetition of dishes the same day ;D Even if there were some unexpected guests, my ammachi and aunts had a tasty solution and the dining table was an array showcasing their kaipunyam ;-)

That familiarity was home for me for a long time :D :D Home sweet home!

Achinga payar is the long beans and whether it is thoran (with grated coconut)or mezhukkupuratti (stirred fry), it's damn easy to make. You don't even need spices to make it (though I use it when I have my own sweet time) and it's all ready in a jiffy :D :D

What I used

1. Oil: 1/4 cup
2. Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
3. Long beans (achinga payar) cut or broken into ~1-inch pieces: 350 grams
4. Diced large onion: 1
5. Meat masala (optional): 1/2 tablespoon
   PS: vegetarians, if you are particular about not using meat masala, can use a mix of 1/2 tablespoon of corriander powder, a dash of garam masala and a pinch of turmeric powder
6. Salt: to taste
7. Green chillies: 2
8. Curry leaves (optional): 1 sprig
9. Water: to sprinkle

How I made it

1. In a pan, heat the oil on medium heat and splutter the mustard seeds and a few curry leaves
2. Add the onion and saute well with some salt
   PS: for this dish, I preferred to use onions cut into half and then vertically slicing. No need to finely chop
3. Add the meat masala at this stage if you are using it and saute well till the raw smell is gone
4. Next goes in the long beans, green chillies and rest of the curry leaves and mix everything well. Sprinkle some water and cook on medium flame with pan covered for about 20 minutes with occasional mixing of contents
5. Once the fire is turned off, keep the pan covered for another 20 minutes before serving

The combo of this juicy stirred fry with brown rice, pulissery and beef roast is to die for! It's a feast on its own :D :D

The vegetarians out there, pair this up with rice, sambar and some pickle and I assure you you won't stop digging into your plate. It's so wow!