Rangooni Vaal Subji

Pray, what is rangooni vaal you ask? Honestly, I can only hazard a guess. I love dried vaal beans, especially the bitter ones or kadve vaal. I bought the rangooni vaal thinking they would be similar to the Maharashtrian kind. The lettering on the package said raguni vaal. The name is probably a corruption of Rangooni, from the city Rangoon of Burma. One more inane detail to clutter my mind!  I quickly discovered they were neither bitter or the ones I have cooked before. One, they are larger. Two, not bitter at all. Three, they taste more like a lima bean. Fourth, they look like a lima bean.  Therefore they must be a lima bean. Like the ones they use to make ful medames in the Middle East. That is my interpretation! 

Well, the beans have been boiled. So I use them to make my favorite vaalachi bhaji...a spicy vaal subji. Sauteed onion, a hefty dose of spices, particularly a beloved Pathare Prabhu methkoot masala, gives the subji color and zest. Methkoot has a similar flavor of the powder used to make mango pickle. It is spicy, tart, redolent of bitter methi, fiery red chiles and other spices. We PP's use the masala with fish and veggies. I use mine sparingly as the masala comes from Bombay, not easy to procure right now. These usurpers take on inherent spicy qualities.  They might not be the vaal I love, but they certainly make a piquant addition to our dinner.

RANGOONI VAAL SUBJI

Serves 5-6

1 cup dried Raguni/Rangooni Vaal or dried Lima Beans

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

1 dried Red Chile

3-4 Curry Leaves

1 large Onion

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder

1 teaspoon Methkoot or Mango Pickle Powder(any brand)

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

4 tablespoons chopped Cilantro

Place vaal in a deep saucepan. 

Pour 5-6 cups of water over vaal. 

Bring vaal to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or till beans are soft. 

Drain and keep aside.

Peel and slice onion. 

Heat oil in a skillet.

Drop red chile and curry leaves into oil. Let the chile and leaves sizzle for 10 seconds.

Add onion and saute till translucent.

Scrape vaal into the onions. 

Sprinkle turmeric, chile powder, methkoot and salt. Stir well so spices coat the beans.

Add 3 tablespoons of the cilantro to beans.

Add 1/2 cup water, cover the skillet and simmer for 15 minutes.

Uncover skillet, garnish with remaining cilantro and serve with rice or chapatti.

The beans elicit oohs and aahs. We love the strong flavors. A miss turned into a hit!

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