Yard Long Beans Side Dish - 2.0 (Alsande Upkari/ Waal Bhaaji)

Fresh crisp winter vegetables are hitting the local scene. A huge bunch of Yard Long Beans caught my fancy. They are known as Waal in Marathi/ Konkani and Alsande in GSB Konkani. I had made similar Upkari some time back. This time around, I changed the seasoning and the cutting style. The tender beans can be just chopped with hands, you just got to 'snap them off by an inch'. I learnt this interesting technique from Mom. She insists that tender beans be chopped in this fashion. That way they do not disintegrate after cooking and remain intact in shape and form. She also uses a seasoning of Byadgi Red Chillies instead of Green Chillies. I am documenting this for my future reference although its a very simple recipe.

~ Yard Long Beans Side Dish - 2.0 ~

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Yard Long Beans (chopped in 1" pieces) - 3 cups

Coconut powder or grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/3 cup

Salt

Oil/Ghee

For Seasoning -

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2-4 leaves

Red Chillies (Byadgi) - 1-2

Method:

Wash the slender beans with lot of water. Pat dry. Snap them off with your hands to break them off into 1" pieces. Since they are tender they break off easily. Keep aside. In a deep vessel, heat few spoons of oil/ghee, temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Finally split each Red Chilli into two and add to the seasoning. Give a gentle stir. Add the chopped beans now and stir for couple of minutes. Immerse in water completely. Adjust salt as per taste. Bring to boil. Cover with a lid and simmer on low flame for 15-20 minutes or till the beans are completely cooked & the water evaporates. Garnish with Coconut powder and serve hot as a Side dish.