Friday, 29 July 2011

French beans with mung dal

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If I don't use up all that bounty we picked up at the PYO farm, I'm gonna be in deep shit. While I was going berserk picking this and that from the farm, Ro kept asking me "are you sure you know what to do with this?" "Do you need so much beans?" and then a threatening one "If I see these rotting in the fridge or being thrown out..." I didn't let him complete the sentence as usual :)
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So I'm in a frenzy trying to finish off all that stuff I picked up, and must admit that I'm loving it so far. These beans for instance were so darn fresh even when I snapped it in half yesterday. Crunchy and so green, not to mention how cheap that whole packet was compared to the mere 250 grams packet I usually pick up at the grocery store.

I didn't want to make my usual stir fry and so with a bit of googling I chanced upon this beautiful blog Akshayapaatram and a beans' recipe that looked so damn pretty. Yes, I totally decide how good a dish is based on the pictures. So I went about making it and I think hence forth I shall make my beans only this way. We totally loved it.
Recipe adapted from here
French beans- 3 cups, chopped
Mung dal- 1/4 cup, washed
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Dried red chillies- 2
Curry leaves- a sprig
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Green chillies- 2, slit
Salt- to taste
Oil- 1 tbsp
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Rows and rows of beans waiting to be harvested

Cook the mung dal in a sauce pan with just enough boiling water. The dal should still be firm and not mashed.
Heat oil in a large wok and throw in the mustard and cumin seeds. 
Wait for it to splutter and add the dried red chillies and curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds.
Throw in the chopped beans followed by cooked mung beans, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt. Stir well to combine it together.
Cover and cook, stirring in between to prevent the beans from sticking to the pan.
If you feel there isn't enough water, then add about a tea spoon of water and continue to cook.
Once the beans have been cooked through, do a taste check, add enough salt if required, give a final stir and take it off the heat.
Serve hot with some roti or rice.

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Notes: I over cooked the mung dal a wee bit and so it got a bit mashed in the process. 
I wanted to add some shredded coconut as well towards the end, but completely forgot. Thoroughly optional though
Adding green chillies is optional, i kinda like a bit of heat. The husband complained though

42 comments:

Nithya said...

Love beans curry a lot. Yours looks fresh and fantastic. I used to make snake guard curry this way and guess my next try with beans would be this for sure :) Delicious clicks as always. Love the colors you have used :)

divya said...

Love this dish. It looks fantastic! :)

Latha said...

Looks healthy and fresh. Love the green color.

Padhu Sankar said...

At times I prepare it in the same way
and I love it .

Suja Manoj said...

Love this combo,perfectly made and beautifully presented..yum

Indian Khana said...

Lovely pics ....love this ...

Unknown said...

Great combo! The pics are beautiful as always..Love that cute bowl..

aipi said...

Never cooked beans like this , sounds like a great idea! Love how green n fresh it looks :)
US Masala

Vimitha Durai said...

That one comfort side dish. Nice clicks..

Unknown said...

this is my all time fav....

wonderful clicks...very inviting...

KrithisKitchen said...

Love the clicks! super table setting..

Anonymous said...

Oh the husband!! Arvind does the same thing with me.. 'are you sure you need so much'... 'why do you need another bowl'..'don't buy because they look nice'.. aarrgg!!
First thing, i love that purple bowl you used that went so well with the font color. I like purple and i like matching .. i know old school type I sound. The dish looks light and would be lovely with some chapati.
www.sunshineandsmile.com

marla {Family Fresh Cooking} said...

This dal and beans are so bright and beautiful!

Anonymous said...

I was looking at that pretty bowl all the time in all your pictures :) Lovely Lavender!

Rekha shoban said...

healthy one...lovely click!!

notyet100 said...

clicks are so good,..

Prathima Rao said...

This ones our family fav!!! We sometime add tur dal too instead of moong....Ur dish has come out perfect dear...Good one :)
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner

schmetterlingwords said...

Hi Nisha, I often make beans this way only with mung dal half cooked. It surely tastes sooo good. If I have coconut raspels, I do definitely add them too... The warming green and yellow on the charming purple cup makes the pic soooo awesome!! :)

cookbookjaleela said...

lovely click.

Unknown said...

Simple n comforting curry

Plateful said...

I usually make a simple stir fry with beans, but since you vouch for this recipe, I can't wait to try. And yea I can identify with you when it comes to filling my shopping bag with way too many goodies with ambitious plans to use them. But, to my dismay, I realize I'm only human...meaning, some goodies do end up rotten in the fridge... much to the irritation of my hubby...! Btw, loved your cute bowl a lot :)

sra said...

Came here through Tastespotting - beautiful pix and loved the way you matched it to your font colours - or was it vice versa. I love purples, lavenders and mauves.

Anonymous said...

Great pics (as usual) and a very tasty looking dish! love these colours, too!

Monet said...

What a wholesome and flavorful dish. I have never cooked with these beans before, but now I want to! Thank you for sharing with me. I'm eating a bagel and enjoying your blog. What a perfect way to start my Sunday! I hope you have a wonderful day.

Binys Recipes said...

wow dear love the clicks ....and the recipe is all time fav!!!!!

San said...

Hey Nisha, first time to your classic space. Happy to follow a space with exotic dishes. Beans with mung dal is absolutely fantastic. Loved the color of the bowl.

Http://sanscurryhouse.blogspot.com

createwithmom said...

delicious looking beans I haven't made with moong dal and beans together before looks wonderful

Kulsum said...

oh that bowl is so lovely! Looks like all that shopping is also making u cook healthier :-D

Sushma Mallya said...

Thts a bowl of goodness..looks lovely Nisha:)

Sarah Naveen said...

That sounds yummy!!! beautiful pics Nisha!!

Sarah said...

im in love with ur bowl! the dish looks lovely... quite different from what we make... in fact ours is so boring now... and its funny why husband's should worry about the kitchen when their wives are such good cooks :) Mine too hates wasting food and always keeps me on my toes..

Sokehah cheah said...

Thanks for dropping by my blog, Nisha. You too have a great blog with so many good clicks!

Vijitha said...

First time here. I stumbled upon your blog from Kulsum's guest post. Loved browsing through your posts.

Love2cook Malaysia said...

Well prepared dhal dish! Looking out for some steamed rice now :)

Unknown said...

looks amazing...wish i had a PYO farm near me...no such thing living in London!!!

Plateful said...

Hey girl, what's up? Busy aano? Haven't seen anything from you in a while. Hope all is well. Take care.

Raks said...

I always make beans same like this except that I add coconut at the end,love it, loved your clear clicks!

Moni said...

This dish looks fantastic, healthy and fresh!:-)) Great pics!

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Stunning pictures..love the colors and absolutely fresh and eye catching..love it totally.

Madura said...

I add moongdal soaked for 20-30mins, stir for a couple of times and then add beans. this way the dal gets cooked along with the beans and won't get mushy

Suhaina said...

wow.wonderful clicks dear...kids who dont eat vegetables will eat once they see these pictures...
simply amazing

TheYummyMorsel said...

I love the color combination in the pics. Wonderful!