Romano Beans Curry

This is a delicious and vegan side made with Romano beans and flavored with sesame seeds, peanuts, coconut, and black pepper. Flavor sounds amazing! This is easy to prepare too.

A few weeks back, I saw these beans in the market and they looked interesting. I have never tried these before. They were a little pricey, but grabbed some and tried them right away. They are flat green beans, one -inch wide and nearly 10-12 in long. These Romano beans tasted very similar to our traditional hyacinth beans which are very short ones. We call the shorter ones avarakai and this can be used to make a simple and delicious curry Avarakai Curry. These Romano beans tasted great and immediately grabbed some more from the market before it was all gone. They were great in soups too. This curry was one among the recipes that we loved with these beans. 

These beans are cooked in about 7 to 8 minutes, this is a plus when making a side. The faster cooking ones are always loved, right? Well, these fit in that category. Sauté  and cover and cook for a few minutes, season your way and have them.

The flavor of these beans is enhanced by the amazing combination of peanuts, sesame seeds, and coconut. These are often used in our curries and this Bhagara Baigan is a classic example. The toasted nuts and coconut mixture gives an amazing rich taste. I have used black pepper to give a kick, adjust the quantity as per your preference. Freshly grated coconut and frozen grated coconut can be used in this recipe. If you do not have that, use unsweetened desiccated coconut or a tablespoon of coconut milk. Chili flakes, or cayenne can also be used in place of black pepper and that would also taste great. 

Coconut adds amazing flavor to any dish and often I add that in a lot of veggie sides like this Asparagus and Coconut Stir-Fry, Avarakai Curry, or South-Indian Kale Stir-Fry. These are amazing and simple sides for any occasion and using the Spring produce can be used! Green Beans and Aloo Curry or Lemon Potatoes make a delicious side too!

Easter is right around the corner and it's a perfect time to plan on Easter menu. Christie is hosting an event and we are sharing delicious Spring sides to aid planning the menu. We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Ingredients

Romano beans - 4.5 cups, 1-in pieces

Salt - 3/4 to 1 tsp

Ginger - 1 tsp, finely chopped

Garlic - 1 tsp, finely chopped

To grind

Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp

Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp, toasted

Coconut - 2 tbsp, fresh or frozen

Whole black pepper - 1/2 tsp

To Temper

Oil - 1-2 tbsp

Dried red chili - 1, torn

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Asafetida - 1/8 tsp

Method

Heat oil on a pan over medium flame. Add the dried red chiles and mustard seeds, when it splutters add the curry leaves and asafetida, fry for 30 seconds.

Add the chopped Romano beans, combine well, cover and cook for 4 minutes.

Open the lid, give a stir, add the chopped ginger and garlic, mix well, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.

In the meantime, grind the sesame seeds, peanuts, coconut and black pepper to a coarse texture.

Add salt to the beans followed by the ground coconut mixture, mix and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve as a side.

Easy Easter Side Dish Recipes

• Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes from Jen Around the World
• Colorful Spring Salad from Art of Natural Living
• Creamed Greens Casserole from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Hash Brown Casserole from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Japanese Potato Salad with Yukon Gold Potatoes from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mom's Investment Salad (aka Ambrosia Salad) from The Spiffy Cookie
• Romano Beans Stir Fry from Magical Ingredients
• Sweet Potatoes with Lemon from That Recipe