Andhra cluster bean chutney (Goruchikkudu pachadi)

I love cluster beans. As a child, my aunt in Mumbai made a mildly spicy gravy with cluster beans and a hint of jaggery; they've always been one of my favourite bean varieties. They have an earthy flavour, with a hint of bitterness in the mature beans. These beans flood the market in the summer and are abundant.

A pulusu is a style of dish from Andhra Pradesh; it is a sour dish defined by tamarind. The combination balances tamarind with green chillies and jaggery, creating a sour, spicy, and sweet mix. A pulusu is usually vegetarian, either a vegetable or lentil dish.

Here, the humble cluster bean is transformed into a pulusu that I found quite unique. The beans are soft from the prolonged cooking, and the spicy-sour chutney smothers them. This is a lovely side dish or condiment on any table.

This cookbook is packed with traditional dishes. Archana Pidathala wrote it as an ode to her grandmother’s cooking. This book is more than a collection of recipes; it brings the cuisine and its people's history to my table. Wonderfully written and featuring beautiful photographs, this cookbook fills a gap on my bookshelf for a cuisine I know little about.

For more delicious and spicy dishes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons oil

4 oz. cluster beans, stringed, tailed, and cut in half

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 onion, finely diced

6-10 green chillies, slit in half longitudinally

10 garlic cloves, minced

2 tomatoes, finely diced

Salt, to taste

Water, as needed

1 tablespoon tamarind extract

Cilantro, to garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok or deep-frying pan over medium heat. Add the beans and fry for about 5 minutes, until charred in spots.

Add the turmeric and toss well. Add the onions, chillies, and garlic, and cook until soft and light gold. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook covered for about 15 minutes, until they break down into a sauce. If the sauce is dry, add a touch of water to thin it to a thick sauce.

Add the tamarind extract and cook for 5 more minutes, until the tamarind no longer tastes raw. Taste the chutney; it should be well balanced, spicy with a slight tartness.

Serve at room temperature, garnished with cilantro.