Green Beans and Corn: Make an Easy Side-Dish
Thaw frozen green beans and corn; slice green chillies and chop ginger. Heat oil, add cumin and fennel seeds; after a few seconds, add ginger and green chillies and saute briefly. Add thawed green beans, splash a little water and stir; cover and cook for 5-7 min on medium heat. Add corn and seasonings; cook for 2-3 min on high until steaming hot. Garnish with fresh coconut and cilantro. Serve immediately with hot chapatis. Parathas, Naan... Enjoy !
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!
- 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!
- 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)
-
- 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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 102kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 223mgPotassium: 247mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 634IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
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