I had a whole bunch of fresh Green Beans that needed to be used, and also had a huge craving for thakaali saadham (Tamil-style tomato rice), and thus this recipe came to be!

Tomato rice is a naturally vegan dish of rice cooked in a classic combination of fried mustard seeds, urad dal, and turmeric; stewed with tomatoes and curry leaves. Today, I made the same tomato base, and instead of rice, stewed green beans in it, and they were just as nostalgic, comforting and marvelous.

Simple foods from home just hits differently

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh green beans, strings removed from the sides, and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1″ piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
2 tbsp urad dal
2 sprigs of curry leaves ~15 leaves
1 1/2 tsp sambar powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional for extra, sambar powder already has some spice in it)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp coarse salt

Serves ~ 4 to 6

Method:
Add oil to a large skillet, and pre heat over medium heat for a few seconds. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to start popping. In quick succession, add urad dal, asafoetida, turmeric and ginger. Fry for a few seconds, until the urad dal starts turning golden brown.

Next add the curry leaves, followed by the tomatoes and salt. Cook for a minute. Add red chilli and coriander powders and toss everything together.

Continue cooking for about 6-8 minutes. Splash a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan, and scrape any pieces stuck to the bottom. Using the back of your spatula crush the pieces of tomatoes to form a cohesive masala.

Now add the green beans, lower the heat, and cover the skillet. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until the green beans are perfectly tender, yet firm and have a little bite to it.

Sprinkle more fresh curry leaves on top, and serve with any type of Indian bread, or rice, or other grains.

Note: Sambar powder is a complex spice mix, available easily in Indian stores. If you don’t have any, a passable shortcut is to use a mix of coriander powder, and red chilli powder. Ideally, also add a pinch of fenugreek seeds or powder.