All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Thursday, August 6, 2015

indian spiced green beans with buttermilk raita





Oh, those green beans!  Every Thursday, the CSA box arrives loaded with them .   The first time we found them, we were thrilled, and my daughter made this delicious supper, remembering the scents and tastes of her visit to India and Nepal.  The second time, not as much enthusiasm, and the third found me trimming the beans and parboiling them to freeze for the winter.  I do wish I liked green beans a little more, but for me, a little goes a long way.  I'd much rather have a rainbow of tomatoes - but this recipe won me over.

Here, the beans are shredded in a Cuisinart using one of the slicing discs, or you can slice by hand, which is tedious, but pleasing in a way.  Two pounds of green beans were dispatched in a matter of minutes, for which we were grateful - that spicy aroma of curry was making us HUNGRY.


First, make a batch of jasmine-basmati rice (with a little chicken stock added to the water), enough to feed your friends/family - in this case, I would say it was enough for 8 servings.  Set aside when done, covered, until it's time to serve.


the green beans:

3 tablespoons olive or peanut oil
one large onion, diced
2 pounds of fresh green beans, sliced or shredded in the Cuisinart food processor.
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 teaspoons good curry powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
kosher salt to taste

Shred the beans, or french them by hand.
Place a baking sheet over two burners on medium heat.  
Drizzle the oil on the sheet and spread with a spoon.
Add the diced onion and cook until golden.
Add the shredded green beans and cook 15 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and the spices and stir well.  Continue to cook for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn.
Serve over the rice with a side dish of the buttermilk raita.

the buttermilk raita:

1 finely diced peeled cucumber
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, minced
kosher salt to tast
1 cup buttermilk

Combine the cucumber, dill, parsley, buttermilk, and salt and stir well.  I used a remarkable new tan cucumber a friend had given us - but looking at the picture, it looks like a potato:)

To serve:  mound the rice on plates, add the green bean mixture on top, then spoon a few tablespoons of the raita on top of the rice and beans.  Heavenly!

Isadora showed me this lovely fountain, planted with wildflowers , one day in a large park nearby - isn't it lovely?  And isn't she lovely?




6 comments:

La Table De Nana said...

She IS lovely..what a great name too..that round garden is doing much better tan mine at the moment..August..you know..

tired..already!

I enjoy green beans:)

katrina said...

Nana - I've noticed that park plantings here in Minneapolis are often wildflowers and grasses , which is sensible - less weeding and watering! Not as much rain here as on the East Coast, although there was a whopper of a thunder-and-lightning storm last night, with a little rain. Funny how different storms can be, depending on where you are.

And I'm happy you like green beans - it was a very sudden realization on my end, though I will eat them. Have a wonderful weekend!

Barb said...

A tan cucumber? I've never heard of that before - remarkable!! I like green beans quite well, but I'm just not a fan of curry. I have a friend who won't eat any green vegetables! Crazy, huh? Well, that's what makes this world interesting - we are all different.

katrina said...

I know, Barb - that cucumber looked very weird to me ! But it tasted just like a normal cucumber . I'm not sure when I stopped loving green beans, but I will still eat them, just lukewarm about them. Can't imagine not eating green veggies! My favorites are spinach and kale - and broccoli - and arugula, which seems to be hard to find here in Minnesota.
You know, for years I also disliked curry, but again, suddenly tasted a curry dish and loved it:)

Lisa from Iroquois said...

made the curried beans recipe. wow, loved it. served it with rice and a variation on the raita that was basically cucumbers in vinegar and cream. yummy.

katrina said...

SO delighted you made this and loved it, Lisa! Thanks for letting me know!