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You are here: Home / Dal Recipes / Paruppu Usili Recipe – How to Make Usili ( Tamil Brahmin-Style)

Paruppu Usili Recipe – How to Make Usili ( Tamil Brahmin-Style)

November 23, 2015 27 Comments

Paruppu Usili is a quintessential Tamil Brahmin dish recipe I was unaware of till I met TH. This is his favourite side-dish to go with rice and rasam or kara kozhambu. I have posted this dish once before that was not an ‘authentic’ recipe. This is straight from my mom-in-law’s recipe archive and I make it around once a week.

Paruppu Usili Recipe

The main ingredients are french beans and toor dal but the recipe is flexible enough to accommodate slight changes. Sometimes I use cluster beans instead of french beans and it works just as well. I have even heard some make cabbage usili but haven’t tried this out myself. There are also different and healthier options to cook the dal as opposed to the traditional method of drenching it in oil and telling yourself its healthy cuz it has lentils (which translates to lots of proteins, especially for vegetarians).

Paruppu Usili Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:
French beans – 1 cup, cut into 1″ pieces and boiled
Toor dal (tuvaram parippu) – 3/4 cup
Channa dal (kadala parippu) – 2 tbsp
Dried red chillies – 3 to 4
Hing/asafoetida (kayam) – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Oil – 1 tbsp (depends on the method you use to cook the dal)
Salt – to taste

How I Made It:

1. Wash and soak the toor dal and channa dal (you can put them together) for about 1.5 hours.

2. Once soft, grind this coarsely with red chillies, turmeric, some salt and hing and as little water as possible.

3. The next step is to cook this dal mixture with the beans and we are done. Its really that simple. There are different ways to cook the dal.

(a) Microwave it till almost done, stirring every one minute. It will take about 4 minutes for it to be almost cooked.

(b) Pat the dal mixture with your hand until you have one thick round roti-like disc and then steam it for 3-4 minutes. This won’t work if you added too much water while grinding. Not to worry, either follow step (a) or

(c) Pour copious amounts of oil (you need atleast 3-4 tbsp) into a pan and stir-fry the dal mixture. This will take anywhere between 7-10 minutes and is allegedly the tastiest of them all.

I have tried all three methods and found that the steaming method makes the softest and healthiest usili. The microwave version tends to make it a bit dry but its really not that bad at all. The oil-heavy one is the best of course. It has to be, otherwise it defies the rules of healthy cooking and eating.

4. If you already started out in a pan, then just add beans when the dal is almost done and cook for another 4-5 minutes without adding more oil. If you microwaved or steamed the dal, then heat a pan, add 1 tbsp oil and dump in the dal and beans and stir-blend for about 5 minutes. 

Beans Usili goes well with rice and pepper rasam or kara kuzhambu.
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By nags Filed Under: Dal Recipes, Dry Vegetarian Side Dishes, Tamil Recipes, Uncategorized

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Comments

  1. Anonymous

    April 1, 2010 at 1:40 pm

    interesting recipe …healthy too ..that grinding part of dal makes it faster to cook , right ! but what makes me more happy is that therez no ulli hehehe ..will try for sure .
    deepa

    Reply
  2. Jayashree

    October 29, 2008 at 4:35 am

    you can steam cook the mixture in a greased plate. when it cools a little break it into small chunks and put it in a blender for few seconds. you have the usli ready to season. Add the cooked freanch beans, cabbage or onions cut into small cubes and cooked with very little oil. This variation is alsogood.

    Reply
  3. Nags

    September 29, 2008 at 1:57 am

    Rachel – 😀 😀 sorry, i took it off the other day cuz of some “technical” issues. its http://www.thewayialwayswas.blogspot.com

    Reply
  4. Shreya

    September 28, 2008 at 9:57 am

    hi Nags, I have passed an award to you. Please do collect it;-)

    Reply
  5. Siri

    September 28, 2008 at 2:08 am

    Ah! the classuc Paruppu Usili curry ..looks yummy Nags!

    Cheers,
    Siri

    Reply
  6. Suma Rajesh

    September 26, 2008 at 10:27 pm

    looks really tempting…

    Reply
  7. DEESHA

    September 26, 2008 at 9:21 pm

    i havent tasted this one .. sounds very healthy …

    Reply
  8. Rachel

    September 26, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    where’s your link for truly madly deeply..It’s been there on the right side????

    Reply
  9. viji

    September 26, 2008 at 6:35 am

    Cabbage,Chayote,Carrot,Cluster Beans,Sruti Papadi,Fenugreek Leaves (fresh/frozen) will all also go well with this.For a totally crisp variety you could use channa dal completely.If you want to steam and the mix is a bit watery try putting it in the idli plates .cool and then break it fine.

    Reply
  10. Sangeeth

    September 25, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    drooling….gonna try it out this weekend!

    Reply
  11. Mandira

    September 25, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    you can’t get any more authentic than that… 😉 looks delicious!

    Reply
  12. Divya

    September 25, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    Very nice… yeah it has been a regular in my childhood days as well. Making the usli in the microwave is so much easier which I came across only recently. Great pic.

    Reply
  13. Happy cook

    September 25, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    Ok will send you something next week as i am planning to make something from my childhood which mom made

    Reply
  14. Laavanya

    September 25, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    My mom always makes it like this with cluster beans.. i use green beans however. Perfect with vatha kuzhambu / morkuzhambu.

    Reply
  15. Happy cook

    September 25, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Even I never knew about this dish.
    It is indeed new for me.
    Nags can I also join up in your event, even though we are not in India or Emirates.
    No need for the prize but still can send in a post

    Reply
  16. Priti

    September 25, 2008 at 11:42 am

    Looks perfect and yummy..I always like the dal in this.

    Reply
  17. sra

    September 25, 2008 at 9:10 am

    Had a good laugh reading your post. I know so many people, including me, who indulge themselves telling themselves it’s good for them since it contains this and this.
    I quite like this dish. Capsicum too is a good choice of vegetable.

    Reply
  18. Kiran

    September 25, 2008 at 7:44 am

    Thanks Nags, I am going to try this tonight!

    Reply
  19. Nags

    September 25, 2008 at 2:21 pm

    Happy cook – please please feel free to send in something. I will be more than happy to include you in the round up 🙂

    Reply
  20. Rupa

    September 25, 2008 at 6:21 am

    Hey,
    This is a keeper…and thanks for the options. I tried this a couple of times but it needed to be prepared elaborately. Put the dal in the idli cooker etc….hence this dish isn’t frequently made…but now your recipe makes it simple….will surely try it soon…

    Reply
  21. jayasree

    September 25, 2008 at 5:54 am

    I too make usli this way and I also learnt it from my MIL. I don’t add chana dal. I think it will add flavor and crunch to usli.

    Reply
  22. Shreya

    September 25, 2008 at 5:34 am

    Hi Nags, another winner. I am going to try this. I have never made usili, and this being authentic, I cannot fail to come out with good results:-)

    Reply
  23. Parvesh Garg

    September 25, 2008 at 3:22 am

    love the combi of paupu usli and mor kozhumbu… what say… with some good toghayal… aaaaaah… iprefer it with french beans with ur cluster beans look tender n good

    Reply
  24. Anonymous

    September 25, 2008 at 2:56 am

    interesting recipe …healthy too ..that grinding part of dal makes it faster to cook , right ! but what makes me more happy is that therez no ulli hehehe ..will try for sure .
    deepa

    Reply
  25. RAKS KITCHEN

    September 25, 2008 at 10:49 am

    I some how feel that beans and cluster beans are the best veggies for usli,and when I was in hostel,they serve usli with moor kuzhambu,which is also a good combo…:)

    Reply
  26. Nags

    September 25, 2008 at 5:57 am

    Deepa – my older version had ulli (shallots) but the authentic one is much simpler, thankfully 😉

    Shreya – do try and let me know how it came out 🙂

    Jayashree – i think chana dal adds an extra flavour and crunch, you are right 🙂

    Reply
  27. Divya Vikram

    September 25, 2008 at 3:13 am

    HAve heard of this..But have never tried it myself..Thanks for the authentic recipe.

    Reply

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I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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