Friday, July 20, 2012

Aloo beans...


Few months back I got some fresh french beans in the market. They were so green and fresh I could not help myself but buy a bagful. So we had a nice 'beans week' after that. I added beans to my dal, to the fried rice, to the soup...still there were some left. That day in the dinner table when I said "I have made some beans with curry leaves and coconut", my family members were skeptical about it but after they tasted it I passed with flying colors. So now it is a regular dish in our house, goes very well with rice and dal.
This post is a revised version of the 2012 post. Just don't me ask about the old photos, which I think you can easily identify. I was shocked to see those old images. I had no knowledge about food photography and styling that time. Not that I'm an expert now. But seriously!!! who uses a pink plastic bowl to photograph fresh vegetables??? But again it's the journey that shows you how far you have come. As I always say being a self taught photographer, everyday brings with it a new lesson. So I am posting this after 8 years with some new photos. Even the write up is so terrible. But I kept the initial paragraph just to look back and see my journey as a blogger. I made a few modifications to the recipe as well. The original recipe called for onions but I find it tastes much better without them.

















Things needed to make Aloo-Beans:

  • Aloo (potato):1 medium-sized
  • French beans: 200 gm
  • Onion (chopped): 1/4 cup (I didn't use onion in this new version)
  • Ginger (julienne): 1 tbsp
  • Curry leaves: 10-12
  • Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
  • Hing (asafoetida): a pinch
  • Urad dal (white lentil): 1/2 tsp
  • Chana dal (bengal gram dal): 1/2 tsp
  • Dry red chili: 2-3
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar (optional)
  • Grated coconut: 1/3 cup
  • Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp
  • Oil: 2-3 tbsp
  • Green chilies : 3-4

Steps of making Aloo- Beans:

(This recipe is inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor's aloo beans recipe, but made few minor modifications also. So here is my take on aloo-beans.)

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes.

2. String the beans and cut it into small pieces. I cut them into 1 inch pieces.

3. Put oil in the pan. I used mustard oil. You can use any other vegetable oil of your choice.

4. When the oil is hot add urad dal, chana dal, cook over low heat till the lentil turns brownish. Now add the curry leaves, mustard seeds (rai), red chilies, ginger, and hing. Cook for a minute.

5. Add beans and a little salt and turmeric powder, mix well. Cover the pan and cook for 5 min over low-medium flame.

6. Add the potato cubes, mix well. Cover and cook for 5 min in medium flame.

7. Add chopped onion, mix well. Cover and cook for 2-3 min in medium flame. (I skipped this step, as I was not using onion)

8. Add salt and sugar. Cover and cook for 5 min. If you like your dish to be more spicy then add some green chilies or red chili powder. I added few green chilies.

9. The potatoes and beans should be cooked by this time. Sprinkle the grated coconut and mix well. Cook over high heat for 2-3 mins. Remove from heat. Serve along with some dal and rice.



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