French Bean Curry

Most of the time I have an exact idea of what I want to prepare, so I bring those veggies home which I plan to use in a day or two. But this day, I had weird combination for a curry - French beans, sweet peppers and tomatoes. While they are perfectly OK for a pasta sauce, they are really not a great for a curry. It was rather a brave move, which surprisingly worked.

I do not use anything called Curry powder cause in India, we never make curry out of one powder all the time. I think it was created to trick the tastebuds to think a dish is curry, since curry powder is used.

A dish should have right amount of 5 basic tastes - saltiness, spiciness, sweetness, bitterness and sourness. I have used salt for saltiness (obviously), honey and milk for sweetness, various spices for spiciness, fenugreek powder for bitterness and tomatoes and yogurt for sourness.

This curry is best for chapati and rice. It carries well so its a definite lunch box item.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 25 - 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups french beans cut to 2" pieces
• 1 Bell pepper any color cut into 1" pieces (I used yellow ones)
• 1 large Plum tomato cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp curd
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dry mango powder
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt as needed

Method:

• Cook french beans with 2-3 tbsp water and some salt in a microwave oven for 3 mins.
• In a saucepan, add oil and let it heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let it crackle.
• Add the cut bell peppers and fry for a few minutes.
• Add in tomatoes and the cooked french beans along with its water.
• Add honey and all the spices one by one  (turmeric, chili, dry mango, fenugreek, garam masala and coriander powders) and give a mix every time a spice is added.
• Stir the entire concoction until everything blends well.
• Add the milk and again stir for a while.
• Mix in the curds slowly making sure it does not curdle. Let this boil for at least 5 mins (the more you boil, the more taste seeps in).
• Finally add salt and check for taste.

Boiling French Bean Curry