Food talk
 Full of beans and how

Low in calories and high on taste, especially if cooked without spices, French beans are a treat for the tastebuds, finds out Pushpesh Pant

Recently we were served a refreshingly light beans dish at a friend’s house that made us realise the remarkable difference in cooking styles between the North and the South. The luscious green Frenchies came to us garden fresh and glistening. They had a delightful crunch to them and were very, very lightly spiced. One could, for a welcome change, taste the beans.

The ubiquitous onion, garlic and ginger had been dispensed with and tomatoes too had been given the go by. We did not miss the good old potato either. (We have long felt that the aloo—a late import to the sub-continent—should either be enjoyed on its own or used discriminatingly certainly not as an inexpensive ‘stretcher’). Other less common beans sem or gwar phalli are as it is valued more than the French beans, so the addition of potatoes pushes them farther in the shadows.

Poriyal beans

Ingredients

French beans (fresh and soft) 500 gm
Tender coconut (grated) 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp

Method

Snip off the top and the tip of the beans and string them. Wash well and cut into small pieces. Heat oil in a shallow pan and put in the mustard seeds, when these begin to splutter add the beans, sprinkle salt and stir well and cook uncovered—stirring occasionally—till done. Sprinkle a few drops of water if necessary. Garnish with grated coconut before serving. If you prefer a mild sting a few chopped green chillies may be added.

To return to the beans; these come in many varieties—flat/broad, French. The last named is to be technically correct is Haricot vert a.k.a. string beans in the US. These were at first grown for their seeds and it was only in the 18th century that Italians began to consume the pods and world soon followed them. The French found the vegetable, imported from Spain and Algeria, much too expensive for their taste and used the beans sparingly till the 19th century. The beans continue to be imported by that country (out of season) from Senegal and Kenya and it is ironical that the beans carry France’s name.

Even, illiterate villagers in remote Himalyan villages grow the crop identify it as farash bean—an obvious corruption of France!

French beans are low in calorific value (39 calories per 100gm) contain 7 per cent carbs and are a rich source of vitamins. It is surprising that many of us, unaware of the veggy’s virtues make little use of it. Mostly it is encountered in the greasy, spice-laden mess named mixed vegetables totally overshadowed by cauliflower florets, paneer, and carrots. Small dices in cutlets, veg pulav or biryani are almost invisible. It is easy to overcook the beans and kill the colour. If one is not careful while buying the beans it is quite possible to land with inedible stringy lot that justifies the American name but that is no consolation.

Trust us, follow the poriyal recipe we share with you this week and you will fall in love with the beans. An easy to prepare, satvic yet supremely satisfying dish.

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