Masala Beans with Fenugreek.

This recipe is another one that used to be a favourite with our family but which has not had much airing in the past few years.  Again, I do not know why.  It is easy, has great flavours and is easily modified for "burn" intensity.  It comes from  book called "Hot and Spicy Cook Book"  which I bought cheap in a book sale (as one does!)  It was edited by Linda Fraser, so "Thanks, Linda"!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 onion

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp chilli powder (room to play with this. It is quite hot and I use a bit less.)

1/2 tsp garlic pulp (here I use a bit more)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tomato, quartered

225 grams French beans (or any available green beans)

1 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves (no stems)

4 tbsp chopped, fresh coriander

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or lime)

Method

·         Roughly chop the onion.

·         In a bowl, place all the spices, salt and garlic.  Add the onion and mix well.

·         Blend for around 45 seconds. ( I use a stick (immersion) blender, but you

could use a standard blender or food processor if yours will take a small
quantity of ingredients)

·         In a medium saucepan heat the oil and fry the spice mixture for about

5 minutes, stirring it from time to time.

Beans, tomato, coriander and spice mix

·         Add the quartered tomato, beans, fenugreek and coriander.

·         Stir fry for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle over the lemon juice and serve

immediately.

Notes

·         About the beans.  This leaves the beans really crunchy.  I mean almost raw! This is fine,

maybe,  if the beans have just been picked, or if you like the taste of raw beans.

I don't mind chomping on the odd  bean I have just picked off the vine, but in a recipe like this, I prefer a bit more softness and a more  "cooked" flavour.

So - I steam my beans for a few minutes first, taking them from the steamer  while they are still  "al dente"  and then I continue with the stir frying.  It's up to you.

·         Fresh fenugreek is not always available, so use 1 tsp seeds instead. If I do this, I add the seeds to the spice mix before processing. 

Spicy Carrots


Having such a good time at the Diwali Festival nudged me to break out a few Indian recipes that I used to make when our family was still at home.  Don't know why I stopped making them, actually! Could it be the calories that seem inherent to so much fabulous Indian food? Everyone loved this cold salad of spicy carrots and it is very easy and quick to make, although it does improve with being kept over-night.  You can adjust the "spicy" to suit your taste and a few of the ingredients may be played with, e.g. lime or lemon juice works well and smoked paprika adds a little twist too.  Also, fresh chilli may be replaced with chopped chilli from a jar, or dried chillis. Finally, I steam my vegetables, so no boiling in water for me,  although if that is your thing, feel free! 

So - here we go......
                                                  

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb/450 gms carrots

water for steaming or boiling

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin seeds

red chilli to taste

1 or 2 large garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

 tsp paprika (smoked if you like)

juice of 1 lemon (or lime)

flat leaf parsley to garnish  - actually, we prefer coriander (cilantro)

Method

Slice the carrots about 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal as they will cook more quickly that way.

Steam over salted water until just tender. (or boil if you must)

Drain and put to one side.

Grind or crush the cumin and add the paprika.

Crush the garlic.

Chop the chilli - remove the seeds if you do not want a lot of heat.

Warm oil gently in a small pan, add the garlic and chilli and cook gently for about a minute, taking care not to brown the garlic.

Stir in the cumin, paprika and lemon/lime juice.

Pour over the warm carrots, coating them well and garnish with the parsley or coriander.

Notes:

·         Great cold the next day and will keep up to a week in the fridge.

·         Pouring the liquid over food while it is still warm, allows it to better absorb the flavours.

·         Be careful handling the chilli as you may irritate your eyes and skin.  You could wear light-weight rubber gloves and discard them when you have finished chopping the chillis. No accidental rubbing of eyes and manic screams then!