Curried Green Beans - Spicy Indian-Style
If you're looking for a quick and easy side dish, or a vegetarian or Indian main dish, these spicy curried Indian-style green beans are a knock-out. This is my own recipe, authentic Indian cuisine, and is so good it's become the favorite vegetable dish of a family member who doesn't like green beans!
This recipe is spicy, so if you have younger children, or someone who isn't accustomed to the vibrant flavors associated with Indian cuisine, you can easily cut back on the amounts of spice used to suit your own palette.
Cook Time
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ready in: 30 min
Yields: Serves approximately 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh green beans (thawed frozen can be substituted), cut into 1" pieces
- 1 medium to large tomato, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 to 2 green chillies, sliced
- 1 to 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or your preferred type)
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- to taste salt
Instructions
- In a kadhai (small wok) or fry pan, heat the oil. When hot add the whole mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the whole cumin seeds and let sizzle until brown. Turn down the heat to medium low and add onion, chillies and garlic and cook until onions begin to brown slightly.
- Add the chopped tomato and the remaining spices. Toss to incorporate thoroughly, add 1 Tb water and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered until the tomato is cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. You should be able to smash it easily with a spoon and when it reaches this point, smash the mixture with a spoon into a pasty consistency.
- Add 1 Tb water and the green beans. Toss the mixture to coat thoroughly, cover and simmer until the green beans are cooked and tender. This may take 10 to 15 minutes.
- When the beans are tender, uncover and raise the heat to medium high, stirring continuously. You want to reduce the liquid left until it's almost gone. You want to be left with a moist tomato coating on your beans, but not soupy. You can even let this brown slightly to give it a nice roasted and caramelized flavor but care should be used not to burn it.
