Asparagus Thoran

15 spears Asparagus
1/2 cup Grated coconut
1/2 tsp Jeera / cumin seeds / jeerakam
pinch Turmeric powder
2 to 3 Green chillies (optional)
3 to 4 Shallots, sliced thin (optional)
a few Curry leaves
2 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
Salt - to taste

Wash and remove the hard end of the asparagus spears and cut into 1" long pieces. Place in a pan, drizzle some water generously and cook covered on low fire for about 5 mins until the pieces are softer yet crunchy. Note that I used very slender variety of asparagus so probably the cooking time was much lesser.

Grind the coconut with the jeera, turmeric and green chillies.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the sliced shallots and fry until golden brown. Then add the cooked asparagus and the ground coconut. Adjust salt. Let it cook for about 5 mins more until the coconut and asparagus is well combined.

From: Edible Garden