Green Beans Sauté

I am so excited to share this green beans recipe with you all. A couple of months ago our power had gone out for almost three days as a safety precaution shutoff from PG&E, and it happened during our Indian festival of Diwali. This is when my friend Roli dropped off the most amazing array of home-cooked dishes for a special Diwali lunch. I tell you folks, for someone like myself who cooks often, having a home-cooked meal made by someone else and that too made by an outstanding cook like my friend Roli – the food just tasted like ambrosia.

Roli had made a wide variety of Indian vegetarian dishes including a paneer curry, daal, edamame stuffed chapatis, cauliflower and pea curry, and this green beans sauté. My kids, Hitesh and I scarfed this food down! It was so good!!! Ever since then I’ve been meaning to get the recipes from Roli and I finally got a chance when we met for lunch.

All you need is green beans and the usual array of Indian spices and you can make this in a jiffy. It’s quick and easy with stupendous results. Delicately spiced with just enough oomph to make green beans taste extra special, even when I made it they tasted as good as Roli’s 😀! Positively delicious these beans are and will become your new favorite way of eating green beans! For a departure from the usual green beans recipes give this one a try!

Green beans Sauté
recipe contributed by Roli

Ingredients:

1lb green beans. Trim the ends and cut into small 1 inch pieces
1/2 tsp asafetida powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dried Red chilies
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt
Oil
Cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Warm 2 tbsp oil. Add the cumin seeds and red chilies and toast in oil for 10-15 seconds until you smell the cumin seeds aroma come through. Next add the asafetida powder and stir it in the oil. Immediately add the cut green beans. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until the green beans are cooked al-dente but not completely tender.

Next add the turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder and salt to taste. Stir the spices into the green beans. Cover and continue to cook the green beans until tender about 7-10 minutes.