Mochai Puli Kulambu

I have always known mochai by just the name ie., I never attempted to learn its English name until Arun asked for it when I was removing them from their pods. We both set out to rectify the problem immediately and came to learn that it is called as Hyacinth beans. He felt ecstatic as he bumped into it first.





 I learned this recipe from my Athamma who is an expert in South Arcod cuisine and when I made this while she was here she commented that it tasted much better than hers. This is very nutritious but not recommended for breast feeding mothers as the baby might feel some digestion problems when mothers consume this gravy. Here is the recipe.





You?ll need:





Violet brinjals / eggplants ? 4 to 5 (large)

Mochai / hyacinth beans ? ¼ cup (fresh)Onions ? 1 (large)



Garlic ? 6 pods



Vengaya vadagams ? ¼ tsp



Tamarind ? 1 lemon size



Turmeric powder ? ¼ tsp



Sambar powder ? 2 tsp



Jaggery ? 2 pinch



Salt ? to taste



Oil ? 2 tbsp





Method:





Chop the onions, garlic finely, and the brinjal and immerse in water to prevent them from changing color. Soak the tamarind in some hot water and extract thick pulp.





In a kadai heat 2 tsp of oil. Add the mochai first and sauté for a minute. Now add the brinjals and sauté till it shrinks in size. (approx 2-3 mins). Pressure cook for 2 whistles without adding any water. I usually place them on top of the rice as it saves time.





In the same kadai heat the remaining oil. Add the vengaya kari vadagam, chopped onions and garlic pods and sauté till the onions turns pink. Now add the cooked brinjal and mochai and sauté for a minute.





Add the tamarind pulp and let it come to a boil. Add the turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and cook till the raw smell disappears (approx., 10 mins). Add the jaggery and simmer for 2 more minutes. Serve with hot rice with ghee drizzled over it.