During our recent trip to the north of India, we did the famous golden triangle, Delhi-Agra-Jairpur. While it was a trip to discover our cultural heritage and learn the rich history of India, it was also a culinary journey for us to experience the range of different styles of cuisine from each region, and from different types of eateries ranging from street food to exquisite five star food. One of my favorite on the trip was the Rajasthani vegetarian thali that we had at the famed Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar restaurant (known as LMB) in Jaipur known for its traditional Rajasthani food. It was nothing like the typical food that we categorize as 'North Indian'. It had a wide range of vegetarian dishes, each one had a distinct taste and texture. I was an instant fan of Rajasthani cuisine. I have been trying to re-create some of those flavors back here in the quick'n'healthy kitchen.
Today's post is a quick side dish with guar beans or cluster beans (a.k.a Kothamara in Malayalam, and Kothavarangai in Tamil). Cluster beans has a distinct flavor and texture compared to green beans or long beans. They are also powerhouses of nutrients with loads of vitamins and minerals, they are diabetic friendly, heart healthy and also bowel healthy. A bunch of reasons to love these beans and here is one more way to enjoy them :-)
Ingredients:
- Guar beans (cluster beans) - 1 lb
- Campari tomatoes - 5-6
- Fresh ginger - 1 inch piece
- Garlic - 4 cloves
- Green chilly - 1-2
- Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
- Amchur (dry mango powder) - 2 tsp
- Homemade garam masala - 1/2 tsp
- Homemade coriander powder - 2 tsp
- Sea salt - as per taste
- Your choice of unrefined cooking oil - 1 Tbs (I used virgin coconut oil)
- Wash and trim the beans, chop into approximately 1/2 inch long pieces.
- Add ginger, garlic, green chilly and one tomato, all roughly chopped into food processor or blender and make a coarse masala paste. Keep aside. Chop remaining tomatoes fine.
- Heat oil on medium heat, add the ground masala paste and sauté till the raw smell goes away. Add tomatoes and sauté till soft.
- Add chopped beans, turmeric powder and the spice powders. Stir well to coat the beans with the masala evenly. Reduce the heat to low-medium and cook covered.
- Once the beans are almost done (in about 10-15 minutes), add salt and continue cooking, stirring frequently.
- Check/adjust the salt and spice level and switch off when the beans are done well.
- Serve warm with freshly made rotis or rice.
- Enjoy!!
- Note 1: If you buy conventionally grown beans, before using, soak them in water along with sea salt, turmeric powder and baking soda for about 30 minutes. Drain, wash and rinse well.
- Note 2: Homemade coriander powder is made by grinding coriander seeds in your coffee grinder.
- Note 3: Garam masala is a mix of ground spices which can vary from region to region or even family to family. Here is my recipe:
- Fennel seeds - a handful
- Cinnamon - 5-6 inch long pieces
- Green cardamom - 4-5
- Black pepper - a few
- Cloves - a few
- Dry roast the spices on medium heat till nice aroma comes out. Let it cool completely and grind to a powder using coffee grinder.
