Papdi and Zucchini Shaak/Hyacinth Beans and Zucchini Sabji

EVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE

THEME : A DISH BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER H

What is the A- Z Challenge? Well, we’re a Facebook group and every alternate month the participants make a dish with the  relevant letter. The group was started in May 2018 by Jolly Makkar and Vidya Narayan.

For the month of July we have to post a recipe using an ingredient that begins with H. This is one challenge where when I’m, making any new dish that’s not for any groups I’m part of then its goes straight into my draft file for later use. Before leaving for Bangalore, I had baked a Honey and Nut Cake. However, I just can’t find the photos and I don’t have time to bake another one.  I guess the recipe will have to wait for another time, another theme.

I’m right now in Palatka, a small  little town in Florida. What am I doing here, especially when its not in any tourists radar? Well, I’m here for my niece’s wedding. Came early to help my sister in law prepare for the wedding. Any of you have got kids married off know how much planning and work it involves. Basically, as guests begin to arrive from 4th July, I’m in charge of the kitchen. My mother in law, sister in law and brother in law were suppose to arrive on 2nd July from Mumbai but after waiting for hours at the airport their flight got delayed and eventually cancelled because of the torrential rains in Mumbai and also because they had to close down the runaway. A Spice Jet airline which arrived from Jaipur overshot its mark while landing and got stuck in the unpaved part of the runway.

I made some papdi and zucchini nu shaak to go with dal, roti, rice and a sweet dish. It was while I was preparing the sabji that it struck me that the English name for papdi is Hyacinth Beans.

So Lo and behold, my dish for the letter H is ready. Also known as lablab beans, hyacinth beans are usually available during winter in India. Here in US, I’m made to understand that there are a couple of farms owned by Indians where many of the Indian vegetables are grown. My sister in law bought the hyacinth tender pods from the Indian shop and we added frozen hyacinth beans or surti papdi as its known as in Gujarat.

This sabji or shaak is traditionally prepared with eggplant or is used to make undhiyu. Since we didn’t have an eggplant and the Indian Shop is about an hour away from Palatka, I used zucchini as my sister in law suggested. This sabji is so easy to prepare. You do not need any special spices or spice mixtures. Also, I made it in a pressure cooker over low to medium heat and the pods got cooked well. One whistle is usually enough as you don’t want the beans and pods to become mushy. Since this shaak is a bit dry i.e. has no gravy, it is usually served with a dal or any other vegetable curry.

PAPDI AND ZUCCHINI SHAAK/HYACINTH BEANS AND ZUCCHINI CURRY

Serves 4

500g papdi/hyacinth beans

1 cup surti papdi beans (small hyacinth beans)

1 large zucchini, cut into small cubes

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeeru)

½ tsp ajwain/carom seeds (ajmo)

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp green chilli paste

¾ -1 tsp salt

1 tbsp dhana jiru powder

½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

¼ tsp asafetida (hing)

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

¼ cup water

1. Prepare the papdi (pods) by removing the tips from both ends and removing the side veins if they peel off. Open the papdi up into two. If they are too long then snap into halves. Wash in a colander along with surti papdi beans.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker without the lid over medium heat.
3. When it becomes hot, add mustard seeds.
4. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, add cumin and ajwain seeds.
5. Add hing and turmeric powder.
6. Immediately add the papdi, surti papdi beans along with the zucchini.
7. Add salt, ginger and chili pastes. Mix well.
8. Add water and mix. Shut the pressure cooker properly with its lid.
9. Insert the whistle. Lower the heat to between low to medium.
10. Let the shaak cook till one whistle blows.
11. Take the pressure cooker off the heat and let the pressure reduce naturally. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE PRESSURE COOKER WHEN HOT.
12. When the pressure cooker has cooled down a bit, gently lift the whistle with tongs allowing any pressure left to be released.
13. Mix the shaak well. Put it on medium heat again.
14. Add dhana jiru and chopped coriander. Let it become hot and serve with roti and dal.

 

 

Tips:

• If the hyacinth beans do not snap easily then don’t use it as the pod is too old. Use only fresh and tender pods.
• Replace the zucchini with chopped eggplant if you want to make the traditional shaak.
• Dhana jiru is a mixture of 1:¼ of coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Both are roasted separately and then ground together into a powder. Its used practically in all the Gujarati sabjis.

 

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So far these are the dishes I’ve made for A-Z Recipe Challenge Group:

Apple Crumble CheeseCake

Blueberry Iced Tea

Cherry CheeseCake

Date and Cashew Nut Barfi

Eggplant Curry/Baigan Bharta

Fig and Amaranth Cookies

Ginger Ale Punch

You may want to check out the following  shaaks:

 

Methi Muthia Tuvar Nu Shaak

Pumpkin Nu Shaak

Tindora nu shaak

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