Name: Aloo Gawar Ki Sabzi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Cluster Beans, gawar phali, ends trimmed and chopped; 1 large Potato, peeled and cut into small cubes; 1 medium Onion, finely chopped; 4 clove Garlic, crushed; 2 tbsp Cooking Oil, neutral oil; ½ tsp Mustard Seeds, rai; ½ tsp Cumin Seeds, jeera; ½ tsp Ground Turmeric, haldi; 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder, adjust to taste; ½ tsp Garam Masala, or Maharashtrian Goda Masala; 1 tsp Salt, to taste; ¼ cup Water, for steaming

35 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

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Method

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to pop. Add cumin seeds.
Add the crushed garlic and sauté for a few seconds until golden and aromatic.
Add the chopped onions and fry on medium heat until they become soft and translucent.
Add the cluster beans (gawar) and potato cubes. Stir well to mix with the onions.
Sprinkle turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly so the spices coat the vegetables.
Pour the water into the kadai. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat for 12-15 minutes.
12–15 min
Check occasionally and stir. Once the potatoes are soft and the beans are tender-crisp, remove the lid.
Sprinkle the garam masala, stir-fry on high heat for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining moisture, and turn off the heat.
1 min

How to tell it's done

Soft, yielding potatoes paired with slightly firm, earthy, and mildly bitter cluster beans in a dry spice coating.

Getting it right

Tip

Removing the stringy fibers from the sides of the cluster beans while chopping is essential for a pleasant, non-chewy texture.

What to serve it with

An everyday staple, best with warm chapatis or jowar bhakri.

Common mistakes

The beans are stringy and squeak between the teeth.: Snap the ends off and pull the string down each side, and give them the full covered cooking. Gawar is fibrous by nature and undercooked it is unpleasant — tender-crisp here means tender first.
It comes out wet.: Take the lid off and turn the heat up for the last minute, as the steps direct. A quarter cup of water is all this needs; anything left in the pan makes a sabzi that should be dry taste sloppy.

Substitutions

Frozen cluster beans work and need a few minutes less. Green beans can stand in but make a different, milder dish — gawar's slight bitterness is the point of this one. Ghee can replace the oil. A spoonful of jaggery or amchur at the end is a common Gujarati touch that softens the sharpness.

Storing and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge and packs well for a lunchbox. Reheat in a pan rather than a microwave so it stays dry. It does not freeze — the beans go limp.

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Ingredients