This simple dish of carrots and beans, gajar sem ki sabzi, is a common Bengali preparation. It is suitable to serve as an accompaniment or as a light meal, served with rice.
This is our favourite vegetable side dish.
The only thing to consider when cooking this dish is to do no more than you have to. The spices will lift the dish and the natural flavours will show through. Under-cooked is much better than over-cooked, as is the case with most of the vegetable recipes.
Presentation is important, and it depends on how you prepare the vegetables. You need the diced beans and carrot pieces be the same size. Ideally, they should be pea-sized.
You could serve this as a salad. Ignore the step that adds water, and remove from the heat. Add the jaggery, then chill for around an hour. Finish the recipe as described.
If you have fresh coconut, grate some over the top to serve.
We serve this as a side dish with almost anything.
the recipe
about
equipment
equipment
- kadai
ingredients
ingredients
- 200 g green beans - trimmed and diced
- 200 g carrots - peeled and diced
for cooking
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 tsp panch phoran - (see recipe)
- 1 red chilli - finely sliced
- 20 g ginger - minced
- ½ tsp salt
- 100 ml water
- ½ tsp jaggery
for serving
- 1 lime - juiced
- ½ cup coriander leaves - finely chopped
instructions
instructions
- Heat the mustard oil in the kadai or a wok over a medium heat. Add the panch phoran and fry until it crackles. This takes about one minute.
- Add the ginger and chilli, and fry for one minute, or until the ginger aroma becomes stronger
- Add the green beans, carrots and salt. Mix well and cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, or until the carrot starts to show brown edges.
- Add the water carefully and mix well. Cook for a further five minutes, or until the water has been completely absorbed by the vegetables.
- Add the jaggery and mix well.
to serve
- Remove from heat, add the lime juice and coriander and gently mix. Serve.
notes
notes
private notes
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