Spicy Fried Beans


Good with rice as a meal, or as a side dish


Recipe Posted on 13th September, 2004

Recipe Source: This recipe comes from a cookbook called The Compelte Asian Cookbook by Sharmaine Solomon. I've had this book for about 15 years and I've used it more than any other cookbook I've ever owned. This recipe is an old favorite that I've been cooking for years. Use any kind of bean - broad beans, French beans, stringless beans, snake beans; they all go well with this type of light spicing.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
500g (1lb) tender beans
1 tablespoon ghee or oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala (see note below)
½ teaspoon chilli powder, optional
2 teaspoons salt
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped, or ¼ cup hot water
squeeze of lemon juice


Method
Top and tail beans, remove any strings if necessary and cut them into bite-size pieces. Heat the ghee in a deep frying pan and fry the onion and ginger over medium low heat until onion is golden. Add turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder and salt and fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes or water and cook stirring, until tomatoes are cooked to a pulp and most of the liquid evaporates. Note, that you can prepare this dish in advance up to this stage. Shortly before you're ready to eat, add the beans and stir well, partially cover pan with lid and cook until beans are just tender. Do not overcook. Stir in lemon juice to taste.

Note: Garam masala is a spice mix used extensively in Indian and Pakistani food. You can buy it pre-mixed in almost any supermarket or asian grocer, or you can make it yourself (garam masala spice mix recipe)