Asparagus Poriyal (or Asparagus Thoran) is a quick and easy South Indian style stir fry recipe made with fresh asparagus, fresh coconut, and tempered with a few spices. This dish is vegan, keto, low-carb, and gluten-free.
Poriyal, also known as thoran, is a South Indian quick, dry stir-fry that's typically served as a side dish with rice or indian curries. You can use various vegetables to make poriyal, such as carrot beans poriyal, purple cabbage poriyal, butternut squash poriyal, and beetroot poriyal!
Asparagus is widely available in the United States in the spring season. We are sure you all have tried common asparagus recipes, such as rair fryer roasted asparagus and creamy asparagus soup. However, this South Indian asparagus recipe is a real game changer.
In this post, we bring you a delicious Asparagus Poriyal recipe. Asparagus is stir-fried along with South Indian ingredients like mustard seeds and curry leaves, and garnished with fresh coconut for a flavorful finish.
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Ingredients
- Asparagus: Choose fresh, tender, pencil-thin asparagus. It cooks faster than medium or thicker stalks.
- Oil: Coconut oil is best for cooking poriyal, you can use any cooking oil of your choice.
- Mustard seeds & urad dal: added for tempering.
- Curry leaves: used for flavoring, dont skip it.
- Hing (Asafoetida): used for flavoring. You can also use gluten-free asafoetida.
- Onion: I used finely chopped red onion. You can also skip it.
- Fresh coconut: Use shredded fresh coconut for garnishing.
How to Make Asparagus Poriyal
Rinse the asparagus thoroughly and pat it dry. Trim off the woody ends, approximately 1 inch from the bottom. Then, slice the asparagus into ¼-inch pieces.
Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle for a few seconds.
Next, add ½ teaspoon urad dal, 2 dry red chilies, 1 stalk curry leaves, and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Sauté until the dal turns light brown and aromatic.
Add 1 small onion (finely chopped) and saute till the onions are translucent and light brown. Takes approximately 2 minutes.
Next, add 2.5 cups of chopped asparagus, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, salt, and stir-fry on medium-low flame until tender and cooked.
Turn off the gas, sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of shredded coconut, and combine well. Garnish with 2 tablespoons of coriander leaves.
Serve the asparagus poriyal (asparagus stir fry) with rice and rasam.
What to Serve with Asparagus Poriyal?
Serve the asparagus poriyal as a side dish with chapati or steamed sona masoori rice and rasam.
Storage Suggestions
- Refrigeration: You can store asparagus poriyal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Reheating: To reheat, you can warm it in a microwave or on the stovetop.
Tips & Variations
- Choose fresh and tender asparagus to make this recipe.
- Trimming off the woody ends of asparagus is highly recommended, as they're difficult to chew.
- If you dont like coconut, you can skip it. But I highly recommend adding it, as it gives a nice flavor and adds texture to the asparagus stir fry.
- If you are on a Keto diet, then skip urad dal in this recipe.
Asparagus Poriyal (Indian Style Asparagus Stir Fry)
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus chopped, (about 2.5 cups)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- salt to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh coconut
- 2 tablespoons coriander finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash the asparagus thoroughly, dry them. Trim woody ends of the asparagus (~1 inch from the bottom). Then cut the asparagus into ¼ inch pieces.
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let them crackle for few seconds.Then add in the urad dal, dry red chilies, curry leaves, hing and saute till the dal turns light brown.
- Add the chopped onion and saute till the onions are translucent and light brown. Takes appx 2 minutes.
- Next add the asparagus, turmeric, salt and stir-fry on medium low flame till they are tender and cooked.Turn off the gas and sprinkle shredded coconut and combine well.
- Serve the Asparagus Poriyal( Asparagus Stir Fry ) along with Rice and rasam.
Notes
Tips & Variation
- Choose fresh and tender asparagus to make this recipe.
- It is highly recommended to trim off the woody ends of asparagus as they're difficult to chew.
- If you dont like coconut, you can skip it. But I highly recommend adding it, as it gives nice flavor and adds texture to the asparagus stir fry.
- If you are on a Keto diet, then skip the urad dal in this recipe.
Nutrition
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Carolyn D SCHOR
Was a nice change and I think a good anti-inflammatory dish.
Bhavana Patil
Yes Carolyn, its a nice way to use up asparagus in a flavorful way.