Valache Birde / Bhirde (Sprouted Val or Field Beans Curry)

Valache Birde/Bhirde or Birda is a classic Maharashtrian curry. It is most popular in our ‘Kokan’ (western coastal region of Maharashtra). Any single festival meal is not complete without "Valacle Birde". This curry is most important part of our "Naivedyam" thali.

Sprouted and peeled beans/pulses like val (field beans), mung (green gram), chavali (lobia) called "birde" in Marathi, and this birde curry is called as "birde" itself.

This curry really brings back the taste of home! This is my all time favorite curry ……so let's do start.

हि पाककृती मराठीतून वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा. 

Preparation: You need....Dried Val beans - 1 cup
I have posted in my earlier post "How to sprout val? " plz click here.

Ingredients:

• Sprouted and peeled Val beans (birde) - around 2 cups (from 1 cup of dried Val beans) 
• Fresh coconut, scraped or grated- ½ cup 
• Cumin seeds-½ tsp 
• Garlic- 5 to 6 cloves 
• Onion, chopped- 1 med 
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp 
• Mustard seeds- ½ tsp 
• Asafetida (Hing)- ½ tsp 
• Homemade mix masala or Malwani masala– 4 to 5 tsp (or Red chilli powder- 2½ tsp + Goda masala- 2 tsp) 
• Kokam petals -3 to 4 or Tamarind pulp-1 tsp 
• Jaggery (gur),grated- ½ to 1 tsp (as per your like) 
• Salt- as per taste 
• Veg. oil- 4 to 5 tbsp 
• Fresh coriander- 2 tbsp (for garnishing) 

Method:

• Grind together fresh coconut, cumin seeds and garlic with some water. (Add hot water if you are using frozen coconut.) Grind into fine paste. 
• Wash these sprouted & peeled val beans and drain. 
• Heat oil in a kadai or pan. Add mustard seeds for tempering. When mustard seeds are popping, add onion. Sauté till turns pinkish. 
• Add hing, turmeric powder and masala or chilli powder. Sauté for few seconds. 
• Add val beans and saute for a while and add water. Mix well and cover the wok with s.s. plate. Pour some water on a plate. Cook for 5 minutes on low heat. 
• Add coconut paste and salt. Add some water (adjust the consistency of curry as per personal choice). 
• Mix well and cook for 20-25 on low heat or till the beans become tender (not too soft). Stir occasionally with a soft hand. Check in between by pressing one with fingers. 
• Add kokam petals or tamarind pulp, jaggery and water if needed. (If you are using goda masala, add now.) Cook another 5 minutes on low heat. 
• Garnish with coriander. Serve hot with chapatti or bhakari or rice.

Second Method: (Traditional old Kokani recipe of my granny. C.K.P. community also follow this recipe. )

• In a big pan/wok, combine peeled val,turmeric powder, hing, masala or chilli powder, chopped onion, oil, salt and water. 
• Mix well and cover the wok with s.s. plate. Pour some water on a plate. Cook for 5 minutes on low heat. 
• Add coconut paste, required water and again mix it thoroughly. Cook on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or till the beans become tender. 
• Add kokam petals or tamarind pulp, jaggery and water if needed. (If you are using goda masala, add now.) Cook another 5 minutes on low heat. 
• Garnish it with coriander. 

Tips:

• Val kernels are very delicate so handle and mix it with soft hand otherwise kernels breaks. Do not overcook. Remember that do not cook soft like smashed dal, val kernels should stay whole. 
• Due to over cooking of val beans, the taste would ruin and partially cooked val beans are difficult to digest. Experience gives you perfection. 
• Eating more amount of val beans, you may suffer from acidity and gas trouble. 
• Some people use potato in this curry. But in my opinion potato ruins taste of curry. 

Naivedyam Thali: