Vegetables

I did a post late last year about “Double Beans”, and “Gadra Beans” (as Indians refer to it) is a distant cousin of the Double Beans, (yes we Indians have lots of cousins and very strong family ties). While preparing this post I was watching TV with my son and I just mentioned that I want to Google “gadra beans” to get more info about it for my post and he said “if it does not have a white name it does not exist on Google”, wanting to prove a point-I did use the words “gadra beans” and yes came up with nothing-so I tried “variety of fresh beans” and “VOILA” I saw the colourful beans in all its glory, but it was called “Borlotti Beans”, “Cranberry Beans” and “French Horticultural Beans” and to my amazement it said it was most popular in Italian and Portuguese Cuisine and no mention of Indian Cuisine. At this point I was a bit upset (because they did not mention Indian Cuisine) but I was also glad because I could prove to my son that yes these glorious beans were not only popular amongst us (Indians from Stanger-Stanger being my place of birth and where I spent my childhood).

 Gadra (Borlotti) beans come in a cream coloured pod that has beautiful pink and purple markings on it (the pods are not edible), once shelled you will find the little jewelled beans that have a nutty flavour, creamy texture and the cherry on the top is that it is a good source of protein and it has a whole host of other nutrients. These wonderful beans are commonly available in Kwa Zulu Natal, however now with Pick ‘n Pay and Foodlovers Market trying to cater for a wider spectrum of shoppers you sometimes find it in these stores. I generally cook this as a curry (unfortunately all its colour and jewel like designs are lost in the cooking process) and serve it with hot rotis, basmati rice, papadums and a kachoomer salad.  You can also steam them and add them to an Asian leaf salad, you could use them in a Three Bean salad, and you can just eat them as a healthy snack instead of peanuts. Any which way you use them you are going to enjoy them and be dazzled with their jewel like beauty.

Gadra (Borlotti) Beans

30ml cooking oil

250ml finely grated onion

6-7 curry leaves

1-2 fresh red chillies

5ml crushed fennel seeds

5ml ginger and garlic paste

2 cloves garlic finely chopped/sliced

10ml coriander powder

2ml turmeric powder

5ml chilli flakes

125ml grated tomatoes

45ml tomato paste

500ml peeled gadra (borlotti) beans

5ml salt (to taste)

45ml chopped fresh coriander (for flavour and garnish)

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy based pot, add the onions – allow to brown, add the curry leaves, chillies and fennel seeds and cook for a few seconds
2. Lower heat, stir the mixture and add the ginger/garlic paste, sliced garlic and powder spices and allow this to cook for a few minutes
3. Add the gadra (borlotti) beans and cover pot and allow simmer till the beans are soft and tender (about 35-45 minutes) before adding the tomatoes and tomato paste
4. Once the tomatoes and tomato paste are added allow the mixture to cook for a further 15-20minutes on low heat, and this will allow all of the flavours to come together.
5. Alternately use a pressure cooker instead of a pot, and follow the same steps as above, but you can add the tomatoes and beans all at once and bring to a boil and cover the pressure cooker and attach the whistle and allow to cook for about 5 whistles or 5minutes before switching the stove off
6. Once the cooker has cooled, remove the lid and season with salt and coriander leaves
7. Serve with whole wheat rotis, or basmati rice and a fresh kachoomer salad and some papadums

 Notes

• You can also add fresh peas and baby potatoes to this curry- double the measurements for the spices and add the peas and potatoes when you add the beans and allow to cook till tender before adding the tomatoes and tomato paste

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