Saturday, December 5, 2009

FLAT BEANS (SIM) WITH CORIANDER LEAVES AND GREEN CHILI


No sooner did I land at home after finishing my  trip to the Himalayas, which was real , than I got into a horrible dream. I saw some one was pushing me around in the kitchen and I saw all kinds of things like chicken, lamb meat, onions, broad beans, garlic, Mushroom cauliflowers etc etc along with all kind of cooking gadgets. I did not like it , I guessed that this dream would be over soon and would be followed by  dreams of Himalayas, the snow peaks, the walk through the Cedar and wild Oak forests etc.
Suddenly I realized it was no dream but reality when I heard some one commanding " Few distinguished People are coming tomorrow for lunch , so clean the flat beans and keep ready other ingredients, so that I could cook it as soon as I am back. In the mean time finish cooking your Dum Gobi and special Mutton dish too. I don't want any disturbance in Kitchen when I am busy cooking other dishes."
These are commands and not requests; so had to be obeyed.
But I did not like the idea of cleaning flat beans, plucking coriander leaves from the bunch etc. After all I have now some international recognition as a cook, received many awards from great cooks and foodies ( Thank you so much dear foodie friends). So this kind of preparatory work doesn't fit my status!! But who is going to listen to these!!!
But suddenly I realized , if I did all the work of preparation and even took few photographs, what was left for cooking except stirring with a ladle and pouring the finished product into the serving bowl!! That is not cooking after all! So I decided to publish the recipe in my name, sweet revenge!!
(PS. By the way I have someone's permission to publish this in my name as if I have cooked it )
THE RECIPE
This is an old cooking style with well known coriander leave paste and some spice. There are few variations, which I use some times. With flat beans (sim) the taste is really good. You can use the common bean, the long rounded ones ( don't remember the name). 
INGREDIENTS
Flat bean ( sim) 200 gms
Coriander leaves 200 gm ( or 3 cups leaves)
Garlic 6 puds ( Jain foodies can eliminate this)
Green chili 4  for grinding+2(for seasoning, broken into 2-3 pieces)
Mustard seed 1 level tsp ( for seasoning)
Turmeric powder 1/2 level tsp 
Oil 1 tbsp ( or 2 tsp) 
Sugar 1/2 tsp ( This is called sugar to taste and not for sweetening) 
Salt as required
(See variation in ingredients below but don't try it 1st time) 




PROCESS
Cut the tip of the beans from both sides, ( dont piece) wash
Steam the beans in salted water until these are soft to some extent ( 2-4 min) and keep aside.
Grind Coriander leaves, 4 green chilis ( increase or decrease chili) pinch of salt 
smash and flatten the garlic pods ( don't chop, don't hit too many times.)
In a Kadhai or thick bottom pan . heat oil Give seasoning of Mustard , green chili and smashed garlic. Add the coriander paste, turmeric, sugar , salt  and soute for 1 minute.
Add the beans and keep mixing on medium flame for few minutes. ( 5 -7 minutes). There will be little water left . I mean it wont be dry and dont burn the paste by over frying.)
Eat with rice or chapati



VARIATIONS


1/2 small tomato chopped fine ( not used here, you can add this immediately after seasoning and fry thoroughly, then add coriander paste and proceed
Hing 1/4 tsp ( 30% active content powder) can be added.
If you love healthy food, add generous amount of oil and keep stirring until oil comes out. I do it some times)
For Jain food, eliminate the garlic, it will be good too.
Happy cooking !!!!


Rare flower for my foodie friends,,,,shot in an abandoned tea garden in Choukari.
These are tea flowers











54 comments:

sangeeta said...

dreams and realities meld together sometimes ...seamlessly !!
when you don't get a kitchen to cook , you dream of such things like chopping onions to perfection n smelling the green coriander paste cooking .......mmmm...

this dream is savory...n yummy..
i cook with this green paste but with these beans i am yet to try...your cooking i always find like doing it instantly ...firstly because it is mostly my kind of cooking and secondly it is real home cooking n not like restaurant dishes...you know what i mean.

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi Ushnish, so the kitchen hero is back from Himalyas...:-), I had made aloo posto recently and posted it, so S inquired me that what has ur new Bengali friend to say about ur recipe?I explained him that u r enjoying the Himalayas!
I make baby potatoes in a similar way and I guess I have posted it some time, will try ur version with Semi, sounds very interesting.

Nandinis food said...

Wow! That's a lovely green dishy! I love coriander leaves and they look beautiful!

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Pari
Please tell S it is perfect traditional Bengali dish with no variations. The best thing is , you have not used hot grinding (dry grinder), which degrades the aroma. Instead you have used Pestle and mortar, a cold grinding or wet grinding process.
You can try this sim dish , and may use the normal beans too.
Happy cooking

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sangeeta
Thanks for your appreciation as you do always!! :-)
I picked up this recipe, among other coriander leave preparation, because the mild aroma of a mustard seasoning and the garlic aroma blend well with the sim and maintains its aroma. A panch phodon or fennel seasoning is strong but quite good too.
Happy cooking

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Nandini
Many thanks and try this , it is pretty fast
good wishes

SE said...

ushnish, loved the recipe..this one is new to me..i just saute the beans with onions and tomatoes..will try this version the next time i get these beans..

Sarah Naveen said...

Hope you had a wonderful time in Himalayas..expecting more pictures from the trip ;)
That flowers look so lovely..
this beans dish sounds great and looks yummy...

Vrinda said...

I lov these flat beans...easy and yummy recipe

Namitha said...

Welcome back...Guess you had a great time and waiting to see more pics...
this is an interesting recipe with all green things...
Seeing tea flowers for the first time :-)

Siddhi Shirsat said...

Hey ushnish...welcome back...hope u njoyed ur trip..can make out from ur mood:-))...u must hv realy njoyed...hey this dish sounds interesting...i do not eat much beans as i dont lik its sabzi...i vl try with this recipe as ingredients are very nice...m sure i vl like it

PJ said...

Fresh-simple and absolutely delicious.. this is exactly my kind of recipe! The use of flat beans in sabji is new to me but I bet the coriander paste brings the whole dish together wonderfully! thanks for stopping by my blog btw.

Very unique and beautiful tea flowers.

Unknown said...

Hello ushinish,
Welcome Back!!!Hope u had a great time in himalayas..:)
wow nice recipe..I can almost get the aroma of coriander here just by looking at the pics! It looks super delicious!
Tea flower looks amazing thanks for sharing with us..:)

prasu said...

Hi Ushnish,

WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!! Hope u had great time at Himalayas.Lovely dish after a break...........never heard of it, cooolllllllll, sure will try and let u know the outcome.....bye....have a great time.

sayantani said...

forgot to mention tried the dum gobi and it was superb.

sayantani said...

Welcome back Ushnishda and thanks for those lovey comment on my page hope you enjoyed radhabalovi and alu dum...(i can only imagine having them right now). this is a new dish to mem my shim plant is laden with them will try it soon. besides this flower is called Parijat in bengali. there are a few trees around Santiniketan and they flower during winter and spring.
awaiting the Himalaya pics on your page

Anonymous said...

tea flowers? never seen those before. thanks for sharing them here

Muraligeetham said...

hi ushnish ..hope you had a wonderful Himalaya trip.
lovely presentation!i jst saw your comment where u were asking 'are you sangeetha?" yes my name is also sangeetha.. Guess you have many friends having the same name :)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sayantani
I feel good that you liked the kofi dum ( actually it is a "FaNki Bazi" fast dish and also a party dish:-). I cooked it again when we organized lunch on Thursday)
Try this shim recipe too. It aroma is mild and distinct.
The flower in this blog is Tea flower, which I plucked from a tea garden few days back.
As far as I know parijat is Seuli phool in Bengali and "Harsh-shringar" in north. Will check in the net.
Himalaya-r photo ekhono dekha hoeni..down load karar somoe pachhina..But the weather and views were too good
Bhalo theko
Ushnishda

preethvijay said...

Hi Ushnish!!!! So, back from himalayas?? Hope u had a good trip. This dish looks so simple man. Will try soon..Btw thanks for ur wonderful comments in ma blog.

Malar Gandhi said...

Dear Ushnish,

Hope you had a wonderful vacation at Himalayas. Good to see you back, with same energy...broad beans curry, is very new to me. Sounds interesting.

I really laughed so much reading ur post, orders need to be obeyed huh...too kool.

Hmmm, I agree peeling garlic, plucking cilantro', slicing onions and blanching beans are all silly jobs for a great chef like you...You should be instructing around'....no worries it will happen soon:)

Good to know your background in Food Tech and BioChemical Engg'...must have been interesting area to explore/study...

Tea flowers look awesome.

My Experiments with Food said...

Hi Ushnish, Good to see you back!
I totally hate cleaning beans and coriander (and methi, pudina etc). Just last night I cleaned the beans so that they can be cooked later in the week (My hubby hates them).
I plan to try your version, and not the regular "Sem Alu". Will have to skip the chillies though.
Will keep you posted on the results.

gtyuk said...

that's a greeny delight I'm discovering; What I appreciate in this dish apart from the fact that it must be absolutely hot ( chillies for grinding & tempering) and crunchy and delicious, the recipe doesn't require too much of spices, which sometimes tend to dominate the taste of the vegetable itself; very nice recipe!!

and about this confusion between the dream & and the reality, the commands and your internationally recognized status, hehehehe.......hum hum, I'm starting to doubt if this person (you're talking about) is really commanding you or is it right the opposite ??? heehehe...

Happy cleaning, chopping and cooking!!!!

Sreelekha Sumesh said...

Welcome back.Hope u had a great time.This curry is new to me...Nice dark green colour..Love this preparation.and that tea flowers looks awesome.So beautiful..

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sangeetha-2 (@ Muraligeetham)
Actually I saw Sangeetha -1 (@ Kothiyavunu)addressing you as Sangeetha in your blog, so I picked up the name :-)
That reminds me, in my class, we had 3 students with same name and surname. So they used to carry 1,2,3 sufix after their name. anyway
Try this recipe, it is different.
Happy cooking

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Malar
I enjoyed your comments :-). Hey my stint with Food tech and Bio engg was limited to class room papers only. But the basic knowledge has been generally useful as an interest.
Me a great chef!! Hummm..Let me take a print out and show it to my wife!!!
Have a nice day

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Siddhi
Hey if you dont like subji, how about this !!!
leave the flat beans, soute the Coriander paste mix,put some lemon juice and smash in a can of tuna (in water) or how about gently laying few canned sardines and coat them with the mix...try it
Happy eating

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear MEF
To be very frank, I never used to like the beans or Sem, and now also I wont prefer :-).
If you like the light aroma of a mustard and smashed garlic seasoning, you can try fast fired paneer with this sauce for hubby.

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear SE
Sauted Bean, Tomato and onion is a all time delicacy !!! I am sure you will like this sauce with beans

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Prasu
Let me know how it comes out...It is not at all spicy and no strong aroma, remember that :-)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sangeetha
Many thanks for your appreciation. I have left a hint on non-veg variation for this Coriander sauce..above @Sidhhi . U can try
Have a busy but enjoyable week ahead :-))

Kanchan said...

New recipe loved it !
and sachii a rare flower .. btw do put on sum nice snaps of himalayas :)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Akal
Thanks for your comments and I always appreciate your great sense of humor. I like it.
You need not use chili at all. Chili is a mouth irritant and not a spice, nothing else but has lot of Vitamin -C , mineral etc.
Can you imagine some Korean dishes require fist full of red chili powder ( Not hot at all) because of medicinal value...and Korean Kimchi has lots of red chili..
Regarding who is in command in my house, I will reiterate the classical statement " I am in command of every thing in my house, and I have my wife's permission to say so in public or in private"
Have a nice week ahead

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear PJ
Many thanks for visiting my blog and your appreciation. please do visit again
Best wishes

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Gulmohar
Ya the trip was great and will upload some photo soon.

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sreelekha
Thank you for your appreciation..try this you will like it..try this sauce with some non-veg..you are a great innovator
Have a nice week ahead

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Kanchan
Thanks for visiting, I put up vege dishes especially for my Vege foodie friends. It is so difficult to cook !!
You can have a look at some Himalayas photos at
http://ughosh.blogspot.com/
Have a nice time

San!!! said...

Hmm back again with a full josh i guess,i can get to know that your trip turned out real well.Glad to know that.For some reason i love the aroma of coriander,not a big fan of beans though.Thanks for sharing such a healthy dish with a wise combo.I will have a look at your other blog as well.Those tea flowers are classic.

Vikis Kitchen said...

Flat beans in that green gravy seems so flavorful. Very nice recipe. Thanks for showing us the tea flower. Himalayas and obsession is interesting. Being a Rajini kanth's (a Tamil actor)fan ...wish to do it some time in my life too:)Going through your older posts now. woo...You have a vast collection Ushnish!

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Viki
I am honored that you visited my space and decided to follow my blog. and thank you for your appreciations. I feel great!!
I am a great fan of Rajanikanth too.
While in Kuwait I used to watch Tamil movies on youtube and all the Rajanikanth movies (luckily most of them had subtitle).
Whenever you want to go to Himalayas drop a line here, I will plan your trip.
You can have a look at beautiful and rare photos at my other blog.
Now I am going to your site to see what all you have in store for me.
Please do visit again.
Have a nice day

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear San
Thanks for visiting.
I also dont like much the beans, but developing a taste for it.
You can spare the beans and use other vegetables or some non vege. Coriander leave paste is used in many dishes. But this one has very low spice aroma ( only Mustard and few smashed garlic as seasoning), so boosts the flavor of other ingredients. You can try small chunks of fish, meat , fried Paneer etc
Happy cooking

Gouri Guha said...

Hi Ushnish,
Must have had a good time...away from city life in the lap of the hills. Nice to see you back.
Beautiful picture...I had never seen tea flowers before.Thanks for sharing.
Interesting and simple Sim dish.

Cool Lassi(e) said...

This looks excellent Ushnish. I like the shot of Tea flowers too. I will send Cinque Terre brief details to ur email..check the spam folder too..

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Lassie
I got the brief , thank you ..I like your caution : "check the spam folder too" Ha ha . No it was in the inbox only.
Cheers

Dolly Sharma said...

Good to know ur back from ur trip to the Himalayas.I guess the trip must have influenced this Green (Hariyali) Delight.

This preparation of flat beans is new to me but I'm sure it tastes yummy. I'm a big believer of using simple and fewer ingredients in preparing a dish.

Nandinis food said...

Hi, sir! Your request is fulfilled on coconut milk!

Pravs said...

Thanks for coming by my blog. Appreciate your comment on the recipe i blogged :)
Flat beans prepared with coriander paste looks inviting. A new recipe for me.

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Nandini
Thank you so much!! I have already seen it, noted and gave a lecture to my wife on this, :-)
Ullash!!!

Urmi said...

Welcome back. Hope you had a wonderful trip.
This dish is absolutely new for me as I have never prepared before. Looks delicious. Thanks for this lovely recipe.

Sandhya Hariharan said...

Hiee Ushnish... I must firsr apologise for not dropping by my blog.. Something wud happen.. either my lil one wud tunr my laptop off or the phone wud ring or something else.. and it will totally skip of mind to drop at ur space..
Uhh... how was the himalayas trip??
this dish is new to me...
Now that ur a bengali..you can answer my query. i m looknig forward for a dish -its an aloo sabji served with small puri's for breakfast in calcutta.. along with jalebi's..
i want the authentic recipe for it...Do write to me.. and I will b just eagerly waiting on it.

Muraligeetham said...

hi ushnish thankyou so much for your encouraging comments... you should try to make chocolate at home but no comparison with the packet ones :) And when I make idli i use this proportion 2:1 and idli comes out pretty soft ..but many people take it as 3:1 If its okay with you continue in that proportion ..Happy cooking !

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sandhya
The of Taste alu sabji with puri varies from place to place within Calcutta. I shall send you some recipe soon.
The Himalayan trip was simply superb. Will upload some blog soon.
please do visit again and best wishes

Bong Mom said...

As long as it is made in the family it is yours :)
Shim dhonepata diye khai ni kokhono, bhalo lagche dekhte

Sunitha said...

The recipe sounds great.. the flower you have given, tea flower, I am wondering if its from the family of St John's wort.. I will look it up.

Flat beans and coriander, aha! I am learning quite a bit already. We started getting coriander very late in Kerala I think becos when I was growing up nobody liked it. We grew up and travelled and fell in love with it. I love my sambar now with coriander leaves and most of my meat dishes too.. Thanks for sharing this recipe.. now I have one more to add to my endless list of coriander love.