Asparagus poriyal

Asparagus poriyal! This dish is inspired from Southern Indian in Tamil Nadu. Poriyal means fried in Tamil. So basically this just means a fried veggie dish. You can make this dish with most veggies - I like to make this with beans, carrots or even peas. This time I had some asparagus in the fridge. Traditionally, fresh coconut is used but desiccated coconut works equally well. Just make sure to soak it for 10-15 minutes in a little warm water beforehand. The asparagus really shines in the dish and chillies added are for flavour rather than heat! Are you going to try this asapragus poriyal? Its a real winner! 

Ingredients 
Serves 2-3
Medium bunch asparagus tough end removed and each cut into 3 pieces 
1/4 cup / 25g desiccated coconut soaked in a little warm water 
1 tsp white spilt urad dal 
1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds 
1/2 tsp salt 
Water, as required 
2 dried kashmiri chillies broken into a few pieces 
Coconut oil as required 

Method 

• In a kadai or frying pan, add a glug of coconut oil. You can use vegetable oil if you prefer, but I like the taste of coconut oil. 
  
  
• Add the mustard seeds, urad dal and kashmiri chillies. Saute for a few minutes until the mustard seeds start crackling and the urad dal turns golden. 
  
  
• Add the chopped asparagus, and saute for a few minutes until the asparagus develops some colour. Add around 1/4 cup / 50 ml water and cover with a lid. Cook on a medium heat until the asparagus is cooked through and the water evaporated. 
  
  
• Once the asparagus is cooked, season with salt and add the desiccated coconut. Mix well and then serve with dal, rice or chapatis!