Asparagus Paruppu Usili/Asparagus Steamed Dal Stir-fry

Asparagus, this vegetable is completely new for me before few years, but blogging world taught me how to make delicious dishes out of this incredible vegetable. Asparagus is a very good source of fiber, folate and vitamins. The most common variety of Asparagus is green but you might have seen two other varieties in Supermarkets. White asparagus is more delicate and difficult to harvest while the purple ones are smaller and fruitier in flavor. However Asparagus is a tasty and versatile vegetable that can be cooked or else enjoyed as raw in salads. Do you know this vegetable is super healthy as much as like Broccoli. Highly packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Asparagus has been used as a medicinal vegetable for many years. Asparagus's nutrition benefits are seriously very impressive because its has no fat and very low in calories. Its also very much rich in proteins, hence this protein rich vegetable can be added in your diet quite often to keep yourself fit.

Spring is the best season for fresh asparagus. Crops are harvested from late February to June. Paruppu usili, this excellent protein rich steamed dal stir fry is definitely a fantastic side dish to relish either with South Indian buttermilk based gravy aka Mor Kuzhambu or else with rasam aka Indian spiced soup. Paruppu usili calls either for Toor dal, channadal, moong dal or else a combination of two dals. This dish is one of the popular Tamil brahmin recipe. Usually paruppu usili is prepared with cluster beans, banana blossom, however Asparagus works awesome to make this fantastic protein rich side dish. If you are a follower of my space, you might have noticed that i have been posting protein rich foods as the theme for this month's blogging marathon is Protein rich dishes. Do check the other marathoners space to know what they are cooking for this month's theme.

1/4kg Green Asaparagus (chopped)
1/2tsp Mustard seeds
1/2tsp Urad dal
1/2tsp Fennel seeds
Few curry leaves
1no Onion (chopped)
1/4cup Grated coconut
1tbsp Oil

To grind:
1/2cup Toor dal (soaked for an hour)
2nos Dry red chillies
A pinch Asafoetida powder
Salt

Grind the soaked toor dal, dry red chillies, asafoetida powder, salt in a mixie jar, blend as bit coarse paste.

Make small balls of the grounded paste and steam cook for 7-8minutes. Remove the cooked dal balls.

Smash them, keep aside.

Heat enough oil in a pan, let splutters the mustard seeds, fennel seeds,urad dal, curry leaves.

Now add the chopped onions and cook until the onions turns transculent.

Add the chopped asparagus, salt and cook in simmer until the asparagus gets half cooked.

Add in the already prepared smashed cooked dal mixture and cook for few minutes.

Finally add the grated coconut and put off the stove.

Serve hot.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 80

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