Oh no! It’s beans, again? Hey guys, I told you in my post last week that I wasn’t keeping well. Hay fever had got me down. No wonder I was cooking up one bean recipe after the other. So after last week’s black chickpea in yoghurt fenugreek sauce, I am bringing you another great recipe which feature beans for sure but the hero of the dish, is the humble okra. It’s the last bean-y affair this month. I promise!
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Okra is a staple in my house. We have it at least twice a week. I know, I know, Manish & I have a vegetable over-use problem Never mind me, okra is so under-rated that it boggles my mind. And there is so much more you can do with okra than simply having them fried. Just start incorporating this easy to cook veggie in your meal plans. You will be pleasantly surprised.
In the video and in the recipe, I have called for boiled beans. I will always suggest the pressure cooker route but let’s just assume we have all used our preferred method and arrived at cooked beans somehow and start from there. Once you have that, it’s just a matter of minutes before this easy and delicious dish is ready for dinner.
For today’s recipe I have used navy beans. As always, I started from dried beans, I soaked them overnight and boiled them in my handy pressure cooker to get it all done. If you are not using dried beans, you are seriously wasting money buying the jarred stuff. I don’t know if we can be friends. Will you ditch the can, pretty please?
I don’t mean to sound weird but what is this deal of having multiple names for vegetables and beans? When a chicken is a chicken everywhere, why can’t the plant based produce just be uniformly named too? Okra is ladiesfinger somewhere and navy beans are also known as haricot or Mangalore beans. Hmmph! Who’s in charge of updating the codices; I demand to know.
- Curious bean anecdote one: did you know that navy beans were named so because unlike canned vegetables, navy beans retained their nutritional value? So they were a good food source for sailors.
- Curious bean anecdote two: did you know that when buying dried beans you have to check out for their colour. Any deviation of colour from their normal stark white, is an indication of poor handling during the drying process. So watch out for the white beans.
Oh and back to the recipe, you should pair it with a flatbread of your choice or better still, like me have it with a sweet Bengali rice. The sweet and savoury contrast lends itself to an interesting dinner proposition. And while you are at it, you might also want to check out my potato and chickpea curry for another easy vegan maincourse idea for the time-strapped weeknight dinners.
No matter what beans you use, a #yummy #bean #recipe always rocks! #vegan #food Click To Tweet
And don’t forget to come back on Monday when I will bring you a delicious stir-fried cauliflower recipe. You will need a sturdy cast iron skillet for that one. So I hope you have that at hand. I will see you soon.
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THE RECIPE:
Fried Okra with Beans in Creamy Coconut Sauce
Fried Okra with Beans in Creamy Coconut Sauce is a naturally gluten-free, mildly spiced, delicious vegan main that is perfect with any rice or flatbread of your choice.
Method
- In a heavy bottomed pan heat the coconut oil, and then add in the onions. Allow to take on some colour for a couple of minutes and then add in the minced garlic and fry till fragrant.
- Next add in the fenugreek seeds and follow it up with the okra and the beans. Give them a good stir.
- Add in the turmeric and the red chillie powders and season to taste.
- Finally add in the coconut milk. Simmer on a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes till the desired consistency is reach the okras are fork tender.
- Serve hot with your choice of rice or flatbread.
Notes
Nutritional assessment is a rough estimate of 1 part (of 2) of the dish without accompaniments.
Prep time does not include time to handle and prepare the beans. Use thispost for further clarification.
SHOW SOME LOVE TODAY:
Please let me know your thoughts on my fried okra with beans in creamy coconut sauce . Leave a comment below. Sharing this recipe with your friends on twitter, Facebook or Pinterest makes everyone happy.
If you are looking for other vegetarian recipes, here’s my easy mung daal tadka and harissa spiced eggplant with coriander gremolata to keep you happy.
