This Cluster Bean recipe is one of my mom’s spin off recipes. She refers to it as ‘Andhra Patholi’, but I’m not sure how much this resembles the original recipe. On my recent trip to India, I had her cook this for me in her 45-year-old kitchen, which she refuses to upgrade :). If you asked me what my top 10 favorite dishes are, this curry would make it to the list. This recipe is also made without the beans and is equally delicious. I prefer the version with the cluster beans, so I can get fiber in addition to protein.
Chana (Split Chickpeas)
When it comes to legumes, few are as famous around the world as the bengal gram (aka chana dal, split chickpeas). These small, pale-brown beans are a great source of protein. They have been in active cultivation for the better part of 7,000 years, making them the oldest and most relied upon legumes on the planet. Pretty cool, eh? Chickpeas are an integral part of this recipe. They add a unique texture and flavor (somewhat like falafel, except these are not fried). You’ll notice that these are not whole but split chickpeas, aka chana dal. I like to soak them for at least an hour, so they are easy to blend.
Soaked Chana
Cluster Beans
Cluster beans are a flatter variety of French beans. They are slightly bitter to taste but a great source of fiber, protein and other nutrients. Cluster beans teach you the valuable “no pain, no gain” lesson. They are a task to prep, but worth the trouble. One could chop them at one go, but that would allow the stringy guys to sneak into the curry and ruin it. My mom has loads of patience – she is not in a hurry. She preps them while watching TV or chit-chatting, so it doesn’t feel like a chore. I think it is a very therapeutic experience.
Mom prepping cluster beans
Patholi: Blended Chana & Cluster Beans Curry
In addition to chickpeas and cluster beans this recipe has onions (lots), green chili pepper and seasoning ingredients (urad dal, curry leaf, mustard and cumin seeds). Once you have the cluster bean prepped, it is a fairly simple recipe to cook – a total cook time of under 20 minutes. Cluster beans are pressure cooked for about 5 minutes to make sure they are softened. Onions bring in a lot of flavor to this dish – they need to be cut to small pieces and cooked till they are golden brown. I also cooked this dish in Instant Pot (IP) as there are a lot of folks who use this device.
Ingredients for this recipe
If you love this veggie and want to serve another yummy dish, check out our other cluster bean recipe here: Cluster Beans-Coconut-Ginger Sauté.
Also check out some of our delicious lentil veggie recipes:
- Opo Squash Yellow Mung Curry
- Cabbage Kootu: Cabbage & Lentil Stew
- South Indian Palak Dal – Spinach & Lentils Stew
- Mamidikaya Pappu- Raw Mango Dal
- Rainbow Chard Red Lentil Stew
- Opo Squash Yellow Mung Curry
- Snake Gourd Recipe
- Methi (Fenugreek Leaves) Dal
- Flavorful Cabbage-Mung Curry
- Healthy Mung-Radish Greens Dal
- Andhra Tomato Pappu
- Tomato Fenugreek Dal
- Sambar
Low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol and sodium, chickpeas contain high amounts of folate (71% DV) and manganese (84%), which may make the amounts of the other nutrients look a little ineffective. But they’re not! You get 29% each of the protein and copper you need, 28% phosphorus, 26% iron, and 20% magnesium. Cluster beans lower your LDL, or bad cholesterol levels thereby improving your heart health and lowering the risk of a heart attack. They also contain fiber, folic acid and potassium, which prevent heart complications.
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Blended Chana and Cluster Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 2.5 Cups Cluster Beans - (About 3/4 pounds)
- 1 Cup Chana Dal
- 1 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 2 Peppers Green Chili Pepper - Large
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
- 1½ Tablespoon Coconut Oil - Cold pressed
Seasoning Ingredients
- 8 Leaves Curry Leaves
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Urad Dal
Instructions
- Pressure cook cluster beans for 5 minutes (this step is only for stove-top method and not for IP).
- Blend chana dal (soaked for an hour) with ½ teaspoon salt and green chili pepper. Set the blend aside in a bowl.
- Stove-Top MethodHeat oil, add seasoning ingredients (curry leaves, urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds). Allow mustard seeds to splutter. Add onion and sauté till it turns golden brown. Add pressure cooked cluster beans, ½ teaspoon salt and sauté for a minute. Add chana dal blend, mix well and cook for 5 to 7 minutes (or till it starts breaking up).
- Instant Pot (IP) MethodSet IP in 'sauté' mode, add oil and allow the 'hot' sign to show up. Add seasoning ingredients, give it a few seconds and add onion. Allow onion to cook for 3 to 4 minutes - keep stirring. Add cluster beans (just cut and snipped - not pressure cooked), salt and mix well. Add chana dal blend, mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. Add about cup of water, mix well, set lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Quick release and scrape off any browned chana stuck to the pan (this is the tastiest part!).
- Serve hot with rice or roti or munch on it as a snack.
