Avarekalu Mixture, Hyacinth Beans Mixture ( Savory Snack )

          Come December, it's avarekalu ( hyacinth beans ) everywhere here in Bangalore, but then since it was holidays and I was not in town, I couldn't buy and cook them until later. This time, I also went to the Avarakelu festival and got to taste a variety of dishes with it, starting from dosa, akki roti, vada to gulab jamun, jalebi and halwa and I totally loved each and every one of them. This season, I had bought loads of avarekalu and tried out some dishes at home too. To start with, I made this mixture with the beans, it's actually a simple dish, except for removing the pods and then peeling them, of course, with practice, people can do it very fast. I tried it with only a cup of avarekalu, but it turned out too good and my family loved it, so I had to make it again..

Need To Have

• Avarekalu/Hyacinth Beans - 1 cup
• Raw Peanuts - 3 tablespoon
• Cashews - 8, broken into pieces
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method

          I have shown how to remove the pods and peel the skin. Remove the avarekalu pods, just like we remove fresh green peas.

          Wash and soak the beans in water for 2 to 4 hours ( my maid says just an hour is enough, she's my guide for avarekalu recipes). Then using your thumb and forefinger press out the bean from its outer skin, the beans after removing the outer skin is known as Hitikida Avarekalu. Spread it out to let some of the moisture to dry out.

          Heat some oil for deep frying, add a handful of beans at a time and fry them on low heat, remove and drain.

          Heat a little oil, roast the peanuts, cashews and curry leaves and add to the avarekalu beans.

          Again heat a little oil, reduce the heat completely, add the asafoetida and chilly powder, switch off, add the avarekalu, some salt and mix it well. Cool and store it.

Note
Deep fry the avarekalu in low heat, otherwise the outside will be fried and brown and the inside will be still soft.
Also wait till all the hissing sound stops, then remove the avarekalu from the oil.
You can add some fried roasted gram dal ( pottukadalai ), ompudi, kara boondi, all the stuff that we add to the regular mixture.