Name: Aloo Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Green Beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 Potato, medium, peeled and cut into cubes or thick wedges; 1 Onion, medium, finely chopped; 1 Tomato, medium, finely chopped; 3 clove Garlic, finely minced; ½ inch Ginger, finely minced; 1 Green Chili Pepper, slit; 1 tsp Cumin Seeds; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; 1 tsp Ground Coriander; ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder; ¼ tsp Garam Masala; ½ tsp Dried Mango Powder, amchur; 1½ tbsp Cooking Oil, mustard oil preferred; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste

30 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Set a kadhai over a medium flame and heat the oil. If executing with mustard oil, bring it to a harsh smoke to neutralize the pungency, then drop the temperature to stabilize.
Pitch the cumin seeds into the fat, letting them audibly splutter. Follow immediately with the minced garlic and ginger, sautéing until they blush a light golden hue.
Add the finely chopped onions to the aromatics, frying steadily until they soften into a pale pink translucency.
Drop in the potato wedges and dust heavily with the turmeric. Shallow fry the tubers actively on medium heat for 4-5 minutes to establish a robust, golden crust before braising.
4–5 min
Add the chopped French beans and the slit green chilli, and season with salt. Toss everything together so the beans are coated in the spiced oil from the potatoes.
Cap the pan tightly and lower the flame to a minimum. Do not introduce any external water; force the vegetables to cook entirely in their own trapped vapor for 8-10 minutes.
8–10 min
Lift the lid to probe the potatoes for tenderness. Once they yield, fold in the chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, and red chilli powder.
Recover the vessel and simmer for a brief 3-4 minutes, just long enough to collapse the tomatoes into the base.
3–4 min
Expose the pan once more. Scatter the amchur and garam masala over the vegetables. Vigorously toss the sabzi on high heat for 1 final minute to incinerate any residual moisture and finish the roast.
Serve immediately from the stove.

How to tell it's done

An unabashedly dry preparation displaying yielding, golden-crusted potatoes woven among vibrant green beans that tenaciously retain a highly satisfying, crisp structural bite.

Nutrition

Per serving, from 2 servings.

338kcal

Where the calories come from

Protein8.1 g9%
Carbohydrate55.6 g62%
Fat11.3 g29%

Sugars: 9.3 g
Saturated fat: 1.8 g
Fibre: 9.8 g
Sodium: 901 mg
Potassium: 1432 mg
Calcium: 109 mg
Iron: 4.3 mg

Estimated by calculation from the ingredient list, using USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.

Getting it right

Tip

The preliminary searing of the potatoes prior to introducing the more delicate beans is structurally critical. It guarantees the potatoes don't dissolve into a starchy paste during the final steaming phase.

What to serve it with

The quintessential, robust Indian lunchbox hero. Demands to be swiped up with hot, blistered Chapatis or deeply layered Parathas.

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Ingredients