Green Beans and Corn – lovely green and gold, with pretty little bursts of red all over. It looks so very enticing… and….. Yess! It sure tastes as good as it looks!
Squeeze some juice from a lime/lemon wedge, and scoop it up with a piece of your favorite flatbread.. Chapatis, Naan, Paratha, Tortillas, Pita….. or even a crisp and tangy Dosa!
If you use frozen green beans (cut) and frozen corn kernels, well, there’s almost no cutting-chopping work at all! So…while the veggies thaw, slice a spicy green chilli pepper and chop up some fresh ginger. That’s it… you’re ready to cook!
Can you make this dish from fresh green beans and fresh corn? Of course! And Yeah… that will definitely take a little longer. You will need to trim and slice the beans and shuck the corn. However, you can do this up to a day or two in advance – see Recipe Notes for details.
Green Beans and Golden Corn – a great combination
Green beans and golden corn, not only look gorgeous together, their flavors complement really well too. The sweet and juicy corn perfectly balances the slightly earthy flavor of the green beans.
A bit of fresh coconut adds richness as well as a hint of juicy sweetness, and the finely minced red bell pepper adds little bursts of red specks all over. Can’t find fresh coconut? Add coarsely crushed roasted peanuts instead, or maybe some sunflower seeds, if you want to make the dish nut-free. These little additions add an extra level of “Oomph” to this simple and delightfully satisfying dish.
Easy and tasty side-dish, packed with nutrients
Easy and delicious, this lovely looking side-dish is packed with nutrients. Very low in overall calories and sodium content, green beans are rich in vitamins and minerals. With a modest amount of fiber and protein, green beans are also a low FODMAP food.. So, folks with digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome can have this dish too.
The sweet and tender corn brings its own bundle of goodies… including fiber and the antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which support eye-health. Although fresh/frozen sweet corn is not exactly a low FODMAP food, the amount of corn per serving in this dish is fairly low.
And then there’s the fat…. from the coconut (or peanuts or sunflower seeds) – not only does it taste good, it actually helps your body absorb various fat soluble nutrients more easily. Quite remarkable how nutritious this simple and tasty dish is!
More quick-fix vegetable Recipes
Do you like vegetables? Are you looking for more quick-fix recipes to try? Here are a few of my favorites that you might want to check out:
- Green Beans with Potatoes – with onions and tomatoes
- Quick Gobhi Matar – Cauliflower Sabji – easy to make in the microwave
- Roasted Bhindi Sabji – with frozen Okra
- Sookhe Aloo – simple and tasty, spiced potatoes packed with flavor
- Simple Besan Capsicum Sabji – Green Bell Peppers with Chickpea flour, Maharashtrian style
- Quick and tasty Paneer Capsicum Stir Fry – Green Bell Pepper and Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese)
I make all of these quite regularly… all you need with it is a flatbread you love …. Any kind will do! And Hey, if you prefer having these with rice… Sure! Why ever not?
Special Diets
This easy and delicious dish is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and soy free. You can also have this dish if you prefer to consume foods without onion/garlic.
To make this dish nut-free, use a nut-free oil of your choice for the Tadka, and swap out the grated coconut with hemp seeds, or crushed sunflower/pumpkin seeds.
Green Beans and Corn… easy dinner after a long day
Feeling hungry after a long and tiring day? Make this quick and easy, no-fuss dish with green beans and corn… your dinner will be ready in no time at all!
You will likely get hooked on it, like me… and start make it quite frequently! Because it is so easy to make, I often include it on “special occasion” menus too… It looks so very pretty on the table, and invariably gets polished off pretty quickly. Since it does not have onion/garlic, it is also suitable for the Prasaad Thali on religious festivals.
Do leave a review and star rating….. much appreciated!
Enjoy!
Green Beans and Corn: Make an Easy Side-Dish
Equipment
- Microwave oven – preferred for thawing frozen green beans If not available, see Recipe Notes for alternative thawing method
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Green beans – sliced, frozen- French-cut preferred about 7oz / 200g; see Recipe Notes for prepping fresh green beans
- 1 1/2 cups Golden Cut Corn – frozen kernels about 7oz / 200g; Fresh corn kernels OK too
- 1 tbsp Red Bell pepper – finely chopped Red Mini Sweet pepper OK too
Tadka and Seasonings
- 2 tsp Oil I like peanut oil; any other mild-flavored oil OK
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1/2 whole Serrano Pepper – medium spicy use less/more as per spiciness preferred
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Red Chilli powder (Cayenne) use less/more as per spiciness preferred
- 3/8 tsp Salt – divide into 2 portions- 1/4 tsp and 1/8 tsp adjust as per taste preference
- 1 tsp Sugar
Garnish
- 2 tbsp Coconut if not available, use coarsely crushed, roasted peanuts; for nut-free alternatives, See Recipe Notes
- 1/4 cup Fresh Coriander leaves (Cilantro) – chopped
- 1 whole Lime/Lemon – cut into wedges
Instructions
- Thaw the green beans: Place measured beans in a dinner plate; spread out evenly. Cover and microwave on defrost setting (30% power) for 3-4 min.
- Place measured corn in a plate/bowl and set aside to thaw to room temperature.
- While the beans thaw, chop the ginger and slice the Serrano pepper; mince the red bell pepper
- Make the Tadka: Heat the oil in a 10 inch (25cm) frying pan for about a minute, then add cumin and fennel seeds, chopped ginger and sliced Serrano.
- Saute for about a minute, then add turmeric
- Add the thawed green beans and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Stir, cover and splash a little water on top (about 2 tbsp); cook on medium heat for 5-7 min.
- Add corn, minced red bell pepper and grated fresh coconut (if frozen, thaw before adding). Add remaining salt (1/8 tsp), sugar and red chilli powder (cayenne). Stir to mix, cover and cook on medium-high heat for 3-4 min, stirring a few times to prevent sticking and burning.
- While the Sabji cooks, prep the fresh coriander: trim and rinse thoroughly in a colander to remove dirt/sand. Gently towel-dry and chop.Cut lime/lemon into wedges.
- Garnish Sabji with fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve immediately with hot Chapatis, (or Paratha, Naan, Tortillas, Pita, etc.)This Sabji is also a great side-dish to serve with Dosas, savory and tangy Yogurt Rice, etc.
- Enjoy!
If using fresh green beans and/or fresh corn
- Wash the beans thoroughly in a colander, scrubbing lightly to remove dirt.Trim the stem ends; slice each bean, individually, on the diagonal. Beans cut this way look very pretty, like the French-cut frozen beans.
- Or, if you need to prepare the beans in a hurry, pick up a bunch into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) pieces.
- Fresh corn: remove husk and silky threads. Cut the corn in half, side-ways, before cutting and collecting the kernels with a sturdy knife.
Notes
Thaw frozen green beans on stove-top:
No microwave for thawing frozen green bean? No worries… you can do this easily on the stove-top too.- Heat 1/2 cup water in a large, covered, frying pan (10-12 in / 25-30 cm) – bring to a boil and turn heat off. Leave the lid on.
- Place the measured green beans in a shallow stainless steel bowl
- Metal bowl preferred – the beans will thaw faster than in a glass/ceramic bowl.
- Transfer the bowl to the frying pan with the hot water.
- Cover and set aside for about 10-12 min to let the beans thaw.
- Use as directed in the recipe.
Using Fresh green beans?
Follow these directions for cleaning, slicing and blanching the beans- Wash the beans in a colander – scrub each bean a little to remove dirt, etc.
- Trim the stem end of each bean
- Slice the beans
- individually, cutting on a diagonal – looks pretty!Â
- this does take a little time, since each bean has to be sliced individually
- bunch a few beans together and slice into 1/4 inch long pieces (1/2 cm)
- individually, cutting on a diagonal – looks pretty!Â
- Blanch the beans, then use as directed for thawed frozen beans.
- Microwave: in a microwave-safe ceramic/glass bowl (I do NOT recommend using a plastic bowl)
- Add 1/4 cup water, cover and microwave on Hi for 2-3 min
- Remove cover and transfer to a plate, along with any leftover cooking water – most of it will have already evaporated.- spread it out to cool quickly.
- Microwave: in a microwave-safe ceramic/glass bowl (I do NOT recommend using a plastic bowl)
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- Stove-top: in a small frying pan
- Add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook on Hi for 3-4 min.
- Remove cover and transfer to a plate – spread it out to cool quickly, along with any leftover cooking water – most of it will have already evaporated.
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Nut-Free alternatives for replacing fresh coconut
If you want to make this dish nut-free, swap the coconut with one of the following:- Hemp seeds
- Coarsely crushed raw pumpkin seeds
- Coarsely crushed raw sunflower seeds
Storing Leftovers:
Store leftover Sabji in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this dish, because when it thaws, its texture is not very appealing.- Consume leftover Sabji within 2-3 days
- Reheat in microwave or stove-top until properly heated through.
Interesting combo, never thought to add corn with green beans and red bell pepper; must try 😊
Hope you like it! It is so fast and easy as well!
So interesting! Love the alternatives and thoughtful notes.
Definitely going to try this week !
Hope you like it, Nilima! I sure do!