Indian

broccoli-cashew poriyal

Some of the Indian recipes I have on the blog, like the biryani and kofta are what I call my ‘special’ recipes. Not in terms of being extraordinary in any way. Just that I make them mostly on special occasions – like when we have company over for lunch or dinner.

Our everyday meals on the other hand are very simple. Usually a vegetable that is stir-fried with spices and a dal/sambar along with some brown rice or rotis. Something that can be put together quickly and where the vegetable takes center stage. Like this broccoli dish made in the south Indian style by stir-frying vegetables with seasoning and spices and some fresh coconut. This style of stir-frying of vegetables is common all over the south albeit known by different names. In Telugu, it is called a kobbari koora, with the name of the vegetable being the prefix…..so this would be broccoli kobbari koora. In Tamil, it is called a poriyal, in Kannada – palya and in Malayalam, thoran.

My favorite vegetables for this have been cabbage or green beans and sometimes carrots. This is the first time I am using broccoli; a vegetable I cook rarely. I know it is really good for you but for some strange reason, it gives me heartburn. In the literal sense, not figuratively. So when I do cook brocccoli for the family, I make sure I have another vegetable on standby for myself.

Last week, I was browsing the web and as it often happens, one link led to another and I ended up on the website of this Indian restaurant, famed for its amazing food. Skipping directly to the vegetarian section, I started going down the list when the Broccoli Cashew Nut Poriyal caught my eye. The addition of cashews seemed like an interesting twist to the classic poriyal.

So I set about making it – at least my version of it! I have to wait for the opportunity to visit the restaurant to see if my imitation was anywhere close to the original! In the meantime, I am happy that it got a thumbs up from the family and an even bigger surprise was that it did not give me heartburn! Maybe it was the cashews! In any case, I count this dish as a success.

Broccoli-Cashew Poriyal

Print Recipe

4 cups of broccoli (approx. 2 heads)
1/4 cup raw cashews or unsalted roasted cashews
1/4 cup fresh coconut, grated (I used the frozen one)
1/2 inch piece ginger, grated (approx 1/2 tbsp)
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
a large pinch of asafoetida (hing) – Optional if hard to get a hold of.
2 tbsp canola, peanut or vegetable oil
6-8 fresh curry leaves
lemon juice (approx. 2-3 tsp)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, sliced (mine was from the garden and had turned red!)
salt to taste

Chop the broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. You can save the stems and use it for something else.

Break the cashew along the hinge part into two.

Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the cashews over medium heat until golden brown (if using raw).

Remove from oil and in the same oil, add the mustard seeds and asafoetida and let the mustard seeds start popping.

Add the curry leaves followed by the sliced jalapeno and ginger and saute it for a minute or two.

Add the broccoli and cook on medium-high heat for about 4-5 mins.

Add the salt and cover. Lower heat to med-low and cook for another 2-3 mins.

Then add the lemon juice, fried cashews and grated coconut and cook for another minute or two. The broccoli should be vibrant green and crisp-tender but not mushy.
Yum