Beans Carrot poriyal with chana dal | Carrot Beans Poriyal recipe

Beans Carrot Poriyal is a popular dish from Tamil Nadu cuisine. It is a colorful and healthy stir-fry side dish made with chopped vegetables, tempering ingredients, onion, and fresh coconut (grated or shredded). Traditionally it is served with rice, rasam, or sambar.

I tasted this vegetable poriyal with chana dal in a South Indian hotel in Hyderabad. When I tasted this combination, I liked the bite of dal and was tempted to try it at home.

What is Poriyal?

Poriyal is a coconut-based vegetable dish that has its roots in Tamil Nadu, the southern part of India where the use of fresh coconut is common.

For decades, poriyal has been a staple of South Indian cuisine. “Poriyal” is derived from the Tamil word “poriyalai,” which means “to fry.” The dish is known by different names in different parts of South India. In Kerala, it is referred to as “thoran,” and in Karnataka, it is referred to as “palya.”

Poriyal is a versatile dish that can be made either with just one vegetable or a combination of vegetables like carrot, beans, cauliflower, bhendi/okra, cabbage, snake gourd, raw banana, cluster beans, butternut squash or chayote squash (chow chow), and beetroots can be used.

Usually, it is seasoned with curry leaves, dried red chilies, urad dal, and mustard seeds. A common addition is a fresh coconut for flavor and texture.

Poriyal is a healthy and nutritious dish, as it is made with fresh vegetables and does not require a lot of oil or spices. It is a great way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. It is also easy to prepare, making it a popular dish for busy weeknights.

About Beans Carrot Poriyal recipe

The traditional poriyal recipe is to start by stir-frying pre-cooked vegetables (steamed or boiled) in a tempering of nutty urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin, and curry leaves, with a hint of spice from dry red chilies, with minimal oil. Finish the dish with freshly grated coconut.

There is another variation of this dish, made with a coarse coconut paste, which gives the dish a unique texture and flavor.

I grind fresh coconut along with cumin, ginger, curry leaves, and green chilies. The freshly ground coarse paste adds a layer of aroma and taste, making it taste better than the basic version. Crushed cumin seeds add a distinct flavor.

Instead of pre-cooking the vegetables, I prefer to cook the veggies and lentils in the tempering so that they absorb the tempering flavors and taste better.

You can make poriyal with one vegetable instead of a combination. But there are days when vegetables are in little quantities. I call it a fridge-cleaning day. At that point, the combination works the best. This is how I came up with this combo.

Within minutes you have a dish that is packed with nutrition and flavors. Also, another health benefit is that it’s not harsh on the stomach.

Every dish has different ways of cooking and so does poriyal. Some prefer to stir fry the vegetables in the tempering and others prefer to pre-cook/boil the vegetables and toss in the tempering ingredients.

Stir fry process changes the color of the vegetables. My preference for poriyal is pre-cooking vegetables. The only reason is, to retain the right color of vegetables.

Do not miss reading Pro tips as the section has a tip about retaining the color of vegetables. The dish is a visual treat to the eyes with orange, green, yellow, and white colors. Full of different flavors and textures, it’s a magical dish that one cannot resist.

Reasons to make

Super easy recipe.

Gets ready in 10-15 minutes.

Does not need any special masalas.

Simple, delicious, colorful, and nutritious!

Low in calories.

The vegetables tantalizing mixed aroma of the blended mix.

The tri-color appearance makes it kids friendly.

No fuss dry curry.

Vegan and can be made gluten-free by skipping the hing.

The dish is loaded with nutrients from beans, carrots, and protein from chana dal.

As the dish is mildly spiced, it can be relished by everyone.

Pro Tips

Wash chana dal a couple of times and soak for 30–60 minutes. Lentils take more time to cook than vegetables, so soaking is important to reduce the cooking time.

Cut the vegetables into the same size for even cooking.

For poriyal, I prefer to cook the vegetables without covering the pan. It retains the bright color of carrots and beans.

Do not overcook the chana dal, it should hold shape and retain its crunchiness.

Add the coconut paste at the end.

Ingredients

Vegetables: In this recipe, I’ve used green beans and carrots.

Lentils: split bengal gram/chana dal.

Tempering: oil, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin, dry red chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida (hing), and turmeric powder.

Others: fresh coconut, salt, and coriander leaves.

How to make Beans Carrot Poriyal

1. Wash the chana dal and soak it in water for at least 30 minutes.

2. Grind fresh coconut, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, and cumin seeds to a coarse paste without adding water. Keep it aside.

3. Heat oil in a kadai over medium flame. When hot, add urad dal, mustard seeds, and cumin. Let them crackle.

4. Add dry red chilies, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Saute until the leaves turn crisp.

5. Add chopped/sliced onion and saute until it turns soft.

6. Add turmeric powder and fry for a few seconds.

7. Add the chopped vegetables and soaked lentils. Saute for a minute.

8. Add water and give a good stir. Add salt to taste and mix.

9. Cook on high flame with covering the kadai until vegetables and chana dal are cooked and the water is completely evaporated.

10. Reduce the flame to low and add the coarse coconut paste. Saute for a minute.

11. Switch off the flame. Beans Carrot Poriyal is ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions

Beans Carrot Poriyal tastes the best as a side dish with hot steamed rice and tomato rasam, pepper rasam, sambar, or dal tadka.

The stir fry vegetable dish also goes well with roti, chapati, or plain paratha.

Variations

You can make this dish without coconut.

Can grate the carrot.

Can grind coconut, dry red chili, or green chili and cumin seeds without adding water. Add this paste after the dish is ready.

More Recipes to try

Spinach Moong Dal fry

Aloo Fry

Cauliflower Fry

Boiled Potato Fry

Cabbage Chana Dal dry curry

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