AvareKaalu Koddel (Hyacinth Beans Coconut Curry)

  Avarekalu is the name for Hyacinth Beans in Kannada. This is also known as the Val Bean, Wild Field Bean and Indian bean. Avarekai is available in Indian stores under the name ‘Surti Papdi Lilva’, usually in the frozen section.   These beans have a slight bitter taste compared to the other beans, but adds great flavor to the foods they are cooked with.   I made a simple coconut based curry with these beans. The curry is referred to as Koddel (Konkani) because this has garlic seasoning. My MIL makes this often and also adds chopped onions in…

Watermelon Limeade Cooler

What is summer without some sweet, juicy watermelon? Also what is summer without some sweet and tangy limeade? Now how about combing the juice from watermelon and limeade and making a refreshing summer drink? This drink is just that and is a great way to enjoy the summer fruits!  We had our fair share of water melons this summer. They were on sale most of the time and it is a good way to quench thirst naturally and add some nutrition.   Last week we had some guests over for dinner and we had brought some store brought limeade. I…

Mango Jam Recipe

My morning starts off with 2 pieces of wheat bread toast, spread with some fruit jam on it (usually strawberry) along with a cup of tea. I eat this at work, so it keeps me full for about 2 hours and manages to get me until lunch.   Late Sunday afternoon I realized that we were out of jam and we had already finished the grocery for that week. I did not feel like going to the grocery again and decided on the next best thing which was to prepare it myself! I did not have strawberries at home, but…