A dish that is super easy and simple you can make it in just under 30 min. Yes, it’s that fast. No need for complicated spices when making this green bean and potato curry. All you would need is a very few basic ingredients, that you may already have at home and voila! This vegan dish is ready in no time.
Rice & curry is becoming more and more widely known around the world but in Srilanka its one of the most famous staple meals everyone loves. There is nothing I’d recommend more common than a nutritious dish of rice and curry to taste of Srilanka. It’s a well-known dish, typically comes with a variety of side curries served over steamy fresh rice.
While I was back home on a short visit last year, all I craved and wanted was to try as many rice and curry from varies places I visited. One of the side curries I’ve seen many times served with rice is the green bean curry.
It’s a simple vegetarian dish made easy and comes loaded with vitamins and minerals to help live a fit life.
Types Of Green Beans
The string beans also known as the snap beans are the most common green beans that we all mostly use. They have a tough string running on both sides of the beans which you can easily remove by snapping the ends and pulling it downwards by the side. The string will easily come off when pulled. Then there are the french or the filet green beans that looks just like the common beans except it’s a little thinner but the taste and looks just the same.
Have you heard of wax beans? maybe you are familiar with yellow beans. They are just like any other green beans except they are yellow in colour and named the wax beans
I’m sure you’ve come across flat or Italian green beans. Also known as the romano beans. These are smaller in length and much flatter and flavourful than the rest.
Then there are the long beans, which looks so much thinner and much longer than any other beans out there. Lastly, there are purple beans. Which I have never used or seen before. I’ve heard it loses its colour during the cooking process.
Choosing the right kind of beans may be a little stressful but let me help you by saying that even though there are different varieties of beans out there, you may use the same recipe to make each type of these beans. I’m not sure about the purple beans but all the rest I have used and loved adding as a side to my rice and curry dish.
How It’s Made
For this recipe, I went with curry leaves, ginger/garlic and onions. Then added the needed spices like turmeric powder, curry powder (optional), and chilli powder (optional). Remember to keep an eye on the heat level because it will get burned if not careful. Then I add in the rest of the ingredients except the coconut milk and let it cook for few more minutes. When the beans and potatoes look cooked enough, add the milk and let it heat for a minute then take off the stove. I included Maldive’s dried fish in this dish as well because I like the crunch and the added flavour it provides but if your vegetarian/vegan just skip that one ingredient and continue the recipe as is.
Serve while it’s still warm with a bowl of steamy rice.
NOTES
Potatoes – I’m used to adding potatoes to my green beans. They go so well together but you may skip the potatoes and just make the beans alone.
Cooking process – You don’t really have to cook it step by step like I have mentioned. On lazy days I would add everything on a pot with the lids on and let it cook on medium/low heat for about 20-30m and then I would add the milk last and let it heat for about a minute before I take off the stove and serve.
Gravy or dry – This recipe makes just enough gravy since my kids love it but if you like thicker or no gravy at all, all you need is to adjust the amount of coconut milk you’re adding or don’t add at all if you want a dry green bean dish.
Coconut milk – Fresh coconut milk off the scraped coconuts taste the best but I have used the canned coconut milk, or the coconut powder and water mixture or go with your 2% or 3.25% milk. If you had no milk at all just go without it. Still taste great.
Types of beans?
Beans do come in different types as I mentioned above but they are just about the same besides the colour and the shapes of it. I’ve mostly used the common green beans but I have used just about all except the purple one.
Frozen beans – Why not? I’ve used frozen beans as well and they come out still great. It is already prepped and cut so when working with frozen packs just use it as is. It’s as easy as that.
Scroll down to read the green bean and potatoe recipe in details below
Green Beans & Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbs Olive oil
- 1/2 medium-size Onion
- sprig of Curry leaves
- 2 tsp Garlic/Ginger optional
- 1-2 Green chilli
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 300g or handful Green beans
- 1/3 medium-size Tomato
- 1/2 tsp Curry powder optional
- pinch Chilli powder optional
- Salt
- 1/4 cup Coconut milk optional
- 1 small-size Potatoes
- 1/2 tbs Maldives fish optional
Instructions
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Wash the beans first then break both the ends of the beans by pulling it downwards, which will help remove the tough strings that run by the sides of the beans.
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Snap the beans into 3 or 4 pieces then split each piece into two vertically using a knife. You don’t have to split it into two vertically if you don’t want to. I like them split, this way the beans cooks much faster.
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Over high heat, heat the olive oil first then add a sprig of curry leaves, garlic/ginger, and the sliced onions. Cook until the onions are softer.
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Next, lower the heat to medium/low and combine the diced tomatoes, turmeric powder, curry powder, a pinch of chilli powder, as well as the prepped beans and diced small potatoes.
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Sprinkle salt for seasoning then give it a good mix for the spices to coat well with the rest of the ingredients. Let it cook with the lids covered for about 10min
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NOTE – If at any point it becomes smoky, lower the heat level. Add a tbs of water or olive oil to it only if it looks dry and burned on the bottom. If not continue to cook with the lids covered on low heat.
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When the beans or potatoes looks cooked add the sliced green chilli, Maldives dry fish (optional) and as well as the coconut milk. Give it a good mix and let it cook for another minute or two then turn off the stove.
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Serve while it’s still hot with a bowl of fresh steamy rice.
For more recipes like this one to go with your rice and curry meal, check out the category HERE. Choose from many vegetable curries and as well as sambals to pair it with a steamy rice bowl.
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