Simple, easy and delicious Kerala style sauté of Cowpeas called Vanpayar Mezhukkupuratti with garlic and pearl onions is a protein rich side to rice and curry.
Depending on where in Kerala (one of the Southern states of India) you are from, the term for a simple saute can be mezhukkupuratti or ularthiyathu. Both of these terms stand for any vegetable, meat, seafood or sometimes even lentils and beans like in this case, that is sauteed in oil and a variety of spices or aromatics.
Red Cowpeas, Vanpayar, Red Chori Beans, Adzuki beans – they are all the same red beans that are used in Chinese cooking as red bean paste. Red Chori or various local language transliterations of red cowpeas is the common name for this bean in most of India. In Kerala, it is called Van Payar.
This should not be confused with Red Kidney Beans or Rajma which is also red in color but it is much larger than this bean.
Vanpayar thoran or a sauté with coconut is also a very popular Kerala dish with this ingredient. It is also used in these other curries like Olan – a winter melon and red cowpeas curry in coconut milk and Erissery – pumpkin and red cowpeas curry with ground coconut.
This Vanpayar Mezhukkupuratti is
- Super easy and simple to make.
- Uses minimal ingredients.
- Is a great recipe for meal prep.
- Very delicious – the red cowpeas being very versatile and able to absorb any flavors to it, it takes on the flavors of the garlic and pearl onions so very beautifully.
- Highly nutritious – protein and fiber rich.
Recipe tips
- In this recipe, the cowpeas are not soaked before cooking them. But you can totally soak them for 30 mins or so, to help them cook faster.
- This can be considered as a base recipe and you can add a variety of other ingredients or spices to it. Any greens like spinach, kale or chard will be a wonderful addition to this.
- Pearl onions are recommended for this recipe to get that slightly sweet onion flavor. If you absolutely don’t have pearl onions, you can substitute shallots for it.
- The vanpayar can be cooked on the stove top in a saucepan, or a pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot.
Method
Rinse the cowpeas and cook with double the amount of water as the beans. If using a traditional stove top pressure cooker, cook for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure release and then open. If using an Instant Pot, add double the amount of water as the amount of beans, cook on Manual for 15 mins and wait for pressure to be released naturally.
Drain the water and keep aside.
Heat coconut oil in a saute pan and add the mustard seeds in it to crackle and pop. Throw in the curry leaves and mix well. Break the dried red chillies to half and add them to the pan and mix well.
Add the chopped red pearl onions and garlic and saute well over medium heat till the onions and garlic start to soften and lose the raw smell. Do not let them brown too much or get burnt.
Add the drained beans, turmeric powder and salt. Give a quick mix and let it cook over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes till the beans absorb all the flavors from the pearl onions and garlic. Turn off heat.
Serving Suggestions
This Vanapayar Mezhukkupuratti will be delicious with Kerala Matta Rice, any kind of pulisseri or parippu curry and some pappadam on the side.
Love simple and flavorful sides like this one. You may love these!
- Kerala Okra Fry – Vendakka Mezhukkupuratti
- Carrot and Beans Thoran – Quick Carrot and Green Bean Sauté with coconut
- Beet Leaves Thoran – Beet leaves sauté with coconut
- Achinga Payar Thoran – Yard Long Beans with Coconut
- Spinach and Chickpea Sauté with Coconut
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Kerala Style Cowpeas Saute – Vanpayar Mezhukkupuratti
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups dried vanpayar adzuki beans / red cowpeas
- ¼ cup sliced red pearl onions peel and slice the pearl onions into slivers
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp brown mustard seeds
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 2-3 dried red chillies
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the cowpeas and cook with double the amount of water as the beans. If using a traditional stove top pressure cooker, cook for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure release and then open. If using an Instant Pot, add double the amount of water as the amount of beans, cook on Manual for 15 mins and wait for pressure to be released naturally.
- Drain the water and keep aside.
- Heat coconut oil in a saute pan and add the mustard seeds in it to crackle and pop. Throw in the curry leaves and mix well. Break the dried red chillies to half and add them to the pan and mix well.
- Add the chopped red pearl onions and garlic and saute well over medium heat till the onions and garlic start to soften and lose the raw smell. Do not let them brown too much or get burnt.
- Add the drained beans, turmeric powder and salt. Give a quick mix and let it cook over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes till the beans absorb all the flavors from the pearl onions and garlic. Turn off heat.
Notes
- In this recipe, the cowpeas are not soaked before cooking them. But you can totally soak them for 30 mins or so, to help them cook faster.
- This can be considered as a base recipe and you can add a variety of other ingredients or spices to it. Any greens like spinach, kale or chard will be a wonderful addition to this.
- Pearl onions are recommended for this recipe to get that slightly sweet onion flavor. If you absolutely don’t have pearl onions, you can substitute shallots for it.
- The vanpayar can be cooked on the stove top in a saucepan, or a pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot.
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