Curried Green Beans with Potatoes - Easy to make
Place green beans, potatoes and seasonings in a bowl that fits on the rack inside a pressure cooker. Cook 3-4 min at full pressure. Release pressure naturally. Meanwhile, heat oil, add cumin, ginger, garlic and onions for a few min. Add chopped tomatoes along with the cooked green beans and potatoes; stir gently and simmer 5-7 min. Garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve hot, with Roti, Chapati, Naan or rice, along with yogurt, spicy pickles, etc. Enjoy!
Equipment
- pressure cooker any kind - electric (like Instant Pot,) or stove-top type ff not available, see Recipe Notes for cooking without pressure cooker note that this method will take longer
- Medium frying pan (10 in / 25 cm) or wok I use anon-stick coated or stainless steel pan. I do NOT recommend using an un-coated Aluminum pan or a carbon-steel wok(un-coated), as they will react with the acidic tomatoes.
Ingredients
To cook in the Pressure-cooker
- 2 cups Fresh Green Beans - trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) long pieces (a little longer is OK too) from about 1/4 lb / 125g fresh beans; if fresh is not available, frozen beans OK too, Note: frozen beans are already partially cooked, so you will need to modify cooking times. See Recipe Notes for details.; I do NOT recommend using canned green beans for making this Sabji - the beans will get too mushy and unappealing.
- 1 cup Potatoes - peeled and diced medium Note: Prep just before cooking to prevent darkening
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder (cayenne) For medium spicy: adjust according to preference
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup water
For the Masala: Saute in a pan on the stove-top
- 1 cup Onions - sliced medium thick (1/8 inch / 2-3 mm) Any variety OK: red, yellow, white; if using large onions, cut the long slices in half, to about 1 1/2 inch (3 cm) long or so; see Recipe Notes if you wish to avoid using onions.
- 1 cup Tomatoes: chopped Any variety OK; about 2 medium large Roma tomatoes
- 1 tsp Fresh garlic (optional) - finely chopped OK to omit if you wish
- 1 tsp Fresh ginger - grated or finely minced Save the edges left over after grating - use that too while simmering the Sabji
- 1 tbsp Oil I prefer to use peanut oil; any other mild flavored edible oil is OK; if you like the somewhat pungent flavor/aroma of mustard oil, that's fine too.
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds use only 1/2 tsp if also using fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds (optional)
- 1/8 tsp Salt adjust as per taste preference
Garnish
- 1/2 cup Fresh coriander leaves (Cilantro) - trimmed, washed and chopped
Instructions
- Begin by prepping the ingredients that will be cooked in the pressure cooker: the green beans and potatoes.Wash the beans in a colander, scrubbing a little as you rinse them. Then trim them: slice off the stem ends and, if you wish, the pointy, tail-end of the beans. How you cut the beans is your choice - I sometimes cut them into 1/4 inch pieces, sometimes a bit longer. Sometimes, I slice them on a diagonal, which looks really pretty, but takes much longer to cut, since each bean needs to be cut individually (see the pics for the difference)Transfer the sliced beans to a pressure cooker insert container - a stainless steel container that fits inside the pressure cooker pot and can be taken out easily! I find the Indian-style tongs, called Pakkad in Hindi, the best tool for doing this. (See the picture of Pakkad in a later step)Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 cup water; stir to distribute the salt evenly.
- Diagonal-cut green beans - also called "French-cut". Looks pretty, but does take longer.
- Wash, peel and dice the potatoes. Arrange the potatoes evenly on top of the green beans.
- Sprinkle the turmeric, chilli powder evenly over the top. Do not stir. Place the prepared container on the rack; close the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 3-4 min. Release pressure naturally.Note: Do not overcook, or the beans will become mushy and unappealing!
Prep the Masala Ingredients
- Peel and slice the onions lengthwise (from root end to stem end). Don't slice them too thin, otherwise they will disintegrate while cooking. Slightly thicker slices hold their structure better and add visual appeal to the finished dish. Note: If using large onions, cut the slices in half or thirds, to about 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2-3 cm) long
- Wash and chop the tomatoes
- Peel the garlic (if using) and chop finely.
- Peel the ginger and chop finely, or grate with a fine shredder. Save the small chunky piece that remains after shredding (to add in while simmering the cooked beans and potatoes)
Make the Masala and simmer with cooked beans and potatoes
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium frying pan (10 inch/25 cm) or wok on medium heat for about a minute. Add cumin seeds, fennel seed (if using), ginger and garlic (if using); stir while they sizzle and brown lightly, for about 30 seconds. Then add the sliced onions and stir.
- Saute until the onions just start turning brown.
- Add the tomatoes and stir.
- By this time, the pressure should be released naturally from the pressure cooker. If pressure is not released fully in about 10-12 minutes after turning it off , carefully force-release the remaining pressure.Caution: Be sure to remove your fingers/hands from the path of the hot steam that is released during forced release of pressure!
- Open the lid, use a "Pakkad" (tongs) to remove the insert-container from the pressure cooker.
- Gently transfer the cooked vegetables (including any liquid juices) to the pan with the Masala.
- Stir gently and simmer for 5-7 min on low heat to blend flavors, stirring a few times along the way.
- Meanwhile, wash and chop the fresh coriander leaves
- Divide in half. Stir half of the coriander leaves into the Sabji, and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the rest of the fresh coriander on top of the dish.
- Serve with hot Chapati, Roti, flaky Paratha, Naan, etc. Put out some yogurt, spicy pickles, etc., to accompany this simple, but very tasty and nutritious meal.
- Enjoy!
Notes
No pressure cooker available?
No worries! You can cook green beans and potatoes without a pressure cooker, by any one of the following methods.- Steamer:
- Prepare the steamer: add about 2 cups water to the steamer pot. Place the rack or steamer basket: the water level should be a little below the rack / basket. Cover and start heating until the water begins to boil.
- Remove the lid and carefully place the container with the beans, potatoes and seasonings on the rack/basket.
- To prevent getting steam burns while placing the container inside the hot steamer pot:
- Use Indian style tongs (Pakkad), or
- Wrap your hands with a kitchen towel
- To prevent getting steam burns while placing the container inside the hot steamer pot:
- Microwave:
- Place the green beans and potatoes, along with the seasonings in a microwave safe glass/ceramic bowl and cook as follows:
- 2-3 min on Hi
- 5-7 min on low-medium (30-40% power)
- Place the green beans and potatoes, along with the seasonings in a microwave safe glass/ceramic bowl and cook as follows:
- In a saucepan/frying pan on the stove-top :
- Place the green beans and potatoes, along with the seasonings in a shallow, heavy bottom saucepan or frying pan
- Add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook as follows:
- 3-4 min on Hi heat
- 8-10 min on low-medium heat
- check once or twice to see if the water has dried out
- If so, add 1/4 cup hot water and continue to cook until veggies are cooked but still firm : don't overcook till mushy soft!
- check once or twice to see if the water has dried out
Sabji with frozen green beans:
If you don't have fresh green beans, you can use the frozen beans too. Since these are typically blanched before freezing, they cook much faster than fresh beans. SO: When using frozen beans, do not cook them in the pressure cooker with the potatoes! Simply thaw them until the ice crystals have melted and the beans have become slightly warm (not hot!)- Cook the potatoes as directed - with water, salt and seasonings.
- Follow the rest of the recipe as directed, adding the thawed green beans along with the cooked potatoes.
To make the Sabji without onions/garlic:
If you prefer to avoid using onions and/or garlic, follow one of the following variations:- You may simply omit both ingredients and proceed according to the recipe- you will need to adjust the seasonings accordingly.
- Make the Tadka with oil, cumin seeds and ginger, then add the tomatoes, cooked green beans and potatoes and simmer for 5-7 min
- Try an interesting substitute: tender Baby Bok Choy leaf-stalks
- Cut off the leafy green tops - save these for another use
- Slice the tender white (or very pale green), fleshy leaf-stalks lengthwise - they will resemble sliced onions and hold their shape/structure quite well upon gentle sauteing for 2-3 min. Do not overcook!
Storing Leftovers:
Transfer leftovers to a microwave-safe glass/ceramic container with a well-fitting lid. I do not recommend using a plastic container for storing leftovers.- Refrigerator
- Consume within 2-3 days.
- To reheat, microwave, (covered) on medium-hi for 2-3 min, until steaming hot.
- Stir gently once or twice along the way, to distribute heat evenly.
- To reheat, microwave, (covered) on medium-hi for 2-3 min, until steaming hot.
- Consume within 2-3 days.
- Freezer:
- Lasts for 3-4 weeks, possibly longer.
- To reheat, microwave (covered) on low/defrost setting (30% power) for 2-3 min or more, until thawed
- Stir gently, then continue heating on medium-hi until steaming hot.
- Note: Frozen potatoes must be heated thoroughly to produce a good texture and flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 314mgPotassium: 481mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 697IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 2mg
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