My Take On Asparagus Poriyal/Vepudu (with dal powders)

I have never made poriyal before. Sure, I did saute veggies before and added coconut to it. I am not sure if that is poriyal though. I would love to be enlightened :). Poriyal as far as I know is a Tamil dish and basically a dry saute of veggies without adding any water. I am not sure if the word alone means something. Tamil friends, please enlighten me here :).

I had some asparagus leftover from my sphaghetti squash and asparagus lettuce wraps and decided to cook them up Tamil style. I say "my take" in the title above because I *think* I may have altered the basic poriyal recipe by adding some additional ingredients especially the masala. I had seen one of my Tamil friends do this for a totally different recipe and I felt like adapting it :).

Okay, so here I go!

Making the masala

Software
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• 3 tbsp chana dal/shanaga pappu
• 2 tbsp urad dal/minapa pappu
• 2 tbsp toor dal/kandhi pappu
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds/dhaniyalu
• 8-10 Indian red chilis/mirchi

Hardware
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one small pan

Method
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• Dry roast all the ingredients seperately and cool. Grind everything in a spice grinder. You will only need about 3 tbsp of this masala for the asaparagus. Store the rest in an air tight container for later use.

Making the poriyal

Software
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• About 20 stalks of asparagus
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, minched
• 2 tbsp of freshly grated coconut (or dry if fresh not available)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves, cut in half
• 3 tbsp of the above masala powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsps of chopped coriander leaves

Hardware
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One pan

Method
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• Cut off the woody stems on one end. To easily tell where to cut, Hold one asparagus in your hand and slowly bend it, it naturally breaks into two pieces, about 2-3 inches on one end. Cut the other asaparagus stalks using the same method, using the one broken one as a guide.
• Then cut the aspargus into very small pieces - about 1/2 inch pieces.
• Put the pan on medium heat, add the oil to the pan, add the mustard and cumin seeds. Add the curry leaves after they splutter. Add the onions and fry until they are translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, fry for a minute or so.
• Add the asparagus pieces, stir, cook for a couple of minutes. Add salt.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, cook for about 5-10 minutes until the asparagus is soft. I had to add about 1/3 cup of water to help it cook half way through the process because it was sticking to the pan. But the water eventually evaporated so that wasn't an issue.
• Sprinkle about 3 tbsp of the masala to the asparagus, stir and cook for another couple of minutes. Turn of the heat.
• Sprinkle the cilantro leaves.

The poriyal was surprisingly good. I could not believe how easy it was and how wonderful it tasted. I think I took the poriyal off the heat before it was all the way cooked so it still had the crunch to it and I loved it. So it is up to you, you can either cook it until it is totally soft or leave a little crunch to it. Asparagus is going to make it to my shopping list more often now!

Serving Suggestion: I ate this with both chapathis and rice with some rasam and it tasted heavenly both ways.

PS: Two of my three entries (spinach chutney w/ chapathi chips and panini - desi style) submitted for VKN's cooking competetion have been selected for voting. If you like my entries, please show your support by voting for my entries. Thank you!