Potato and Bean ‘Curry’

Potato and Bean ‘Curry’

Lightly spiced, fresh and vibrant

As the Autumn takes hold warm days give way to cool evenings and chilly mornings, the kind of day that begins with a coat then progresses into wanting to wear shorts, before finishing with a desire for something hearty to eat. Something warming but light enough to enjoy with the last few hours of sun. 

Indian cuisine is, more often than not, a far cry from the high street ‘tandoori’ or ‘curry’ houses we know and love. Fast, light and very fragrant is commonplace, with the term curry being reserved for the anglicised ‘gravy’. This recipe encapsulates a more authentic expression of India cuisine, seasonal ingredients with a fragrant seasoning.


Serves 4 as a min or 6 as a side dish
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
4 medium sized potatoes
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1tsp cumin seeds
sea salt flakes
200g+/- cherry tomatoes
1tsp garam masala
200g +/- green beans
Fresh ground black pepper
A couple of dessert spoons of apple cider vinegar
Chopped parsley


1. Scrub the potatoes clean and dice into small chunks around the size of the end of a finger. Heat a generous puddle of rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a gently heat and sauté the potatoes for approximately 10 minutes until they are gently brown. 

2. Meanwhile, peel and slice the garlic then add to the potatoes with the cumin seeds. Briefly toast for 5 minutes allowing the garlic to lightly brown and cumin to toast. This releases the fragrance from the seeds and gives a nutty sweetness to the garlic, complementing the cumin.

3. While these are toasting, peel and slice the onion then add to the pan with a three finger pinch of salt. Continue to cook for another 3 – 5. minutes, allowing the onion to soften. 

4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pan, increasing to a moderately high heat. Add the vinegar, water, garam masala and beans, season with a little black pepper and cook for around 5 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to break down and the liquid to thicken in the bottom of the pan. 

5. Season with a little more salt if necessary and finish with fresh parsley.

Serve with flatbreads, yoghurt dressing and your favourite fruit chutney.

Chef Notes:
1. Green beans can easily be substituted for kale, chard, mustard greens or beetroot leaves. 
2. Spice this recipe up or down to suit any pallet. Fresh chilli added at the end, dried chilli flakes in at the start or chilli powder in with the garam masala bring a nice kick.

Robin Popham
Chef at ‘Create Terroir’ and Sandy Lane Farm veg box customer