Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry Recipe
The classic Turkish style green beans dish with tomato paste used to be one of my favorite and it was one of the dishes I most frequently made during summer until I met the Indian style dish sem aloo ki sabzi. Sem aloo ki sabzi is very similar to the Turkish style green bean dish I make, only with dozens of spice differences.
After tasting this spicy sem aloo ki sabzi, our traditional green bean dish started to seem a bit bland to me. For this reason, Sem aloo ki sabzi was once my favorite green bean dish after green beans with olive oil (it is always the queen). Until I met this Sri Lankan green bean curry. The flavor that coconut milk adds, the velvety consistency it gives... Oh my God!
Sri Lankan style green bean curry has many spices easily available. It may not be possible to find only curry leaves in markets. I'm not sure about the herbalists either, but you can easily find and buy it online. So is it necessary? I think the real addressee of this problem is not me, but Sri Lankans. For example, what would you say if they ask you if you like yayla soup without mint. I'm sure they will give you the same answer. But now where will we find a Sri Lankan to ask this question? So, if you ask me again I would say that it wouldn't be a big deal if you didn't use it among all the spices. But it's between us, don't tell that to the Sri Lankans. Let's resolve this issue peacefully.
Since it is also possible to buy other spices from the neighborhood herbalist, unfortunately I cannot go too far and allow you to skip them. Especially, I would never leave out coconut milk, which gives this delicious dish its real flavor and consistency. I don't think it is possible to buy it from herbalists, but you can find it in the world cuisine sections of large supermarkets and of course online.
It is still very spicy, but coconut milk softens that intense spice flavor and a magnificent flavor emerges. Like all other curries, this Sri Lankan curry pairs well with rice pilaf.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 750 g of green beans,
- 1 large size (300-400 g) potato,
- 1 onion,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 500 ml coconut milk,
- 1 green hot pepper (or equivalent fresh or dried pepper),
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric,
- 1 teaspoon of ginger,
- 1 teaspoon of curry spice,
- 1 teaspoon of garam masala,
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds,
- 1 cinnamon stick,
- 1 pinch of curry leaves,
- 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil,
- Salt to taste.
Preparation
- Heat the olive oil in a deep pot,
- Add turmeric, ginger, curry, garam masala, mustard seeds, cinnamon and curry leaves and mix,
- Add finely chopped garlic and onion and stir fry until softened,
- Add the chopped green beans and cook, stirring, until they change colour,
- Add coconut milk, stir, close the lid and cook over low heat until the beans soften slightly,
- Add the peeled and chopped potatoes, mix and cook until they soften,
- Taste and add salt and the missing spices if necessary, stir and and remove from the heat.
Enjoy your meal...