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Warm Flat Beans Salad

I have spoken enough about my love for vegetables. I eat at least one vegetable dish with every meal. I like my vegetables very simple, not overcooked or over spiced.  I try to keep them as simple as possible. Mostly I cook them in a stir-fry with basic Indian spices but I also love them boiled, roasted, steamed or baked.

Here’s one more vegetable dish from my kitchen. Indian flat beans are a family favourite. They have a slightly bitter yet sweet taste. Soft when cooked well and crunchy when raw they are wonderful both ways. In this it’s simple boiled with a tempering of garlic and cumin.

Though it doesn’t sound fancy, it tasted so good! Leave the cumin out if you are not too crazy about it but I really loved the nutty flavours of it with the pungent garlic. Though I typically serve veggies like these with rice and curry, this one was better as a warm salad. My husband said he can just eat a huge bowl full of this for lunch!

This ‘Warm Flat Bean Salad’ recipe is my first post for ‘Honest Cooking’!

I am very excited to now be a part of ‘Honest Cooking’ which is an international online culinary magazine with the ambition to truly change the face of online food media. We feature over 70 of the world’s most interesting food & beverage writers, bloggers, photographers and Chefs, in a magazine that aims to become the leading and most inspiring place for serious culinary debate, salivating recipes, interesting food news and international food-fun. We want to be smaller, quicker, funnier, smarter and more interesting than all of the current established food websites. Click here to see this same recipe on ‘Honest Cooking’

I am also sending this as my entry to ‘My Legume Love Affair’, an event Started by Susan of ‘Well Seasoned Cook’ which is hosted by Suma of ‘Veggie Platter’ this month!

Indian Flat beans, Averai kai, Chikkudu kai or Papdi

cut both ends, removing the fiber on both sides

Garlic – my eternal love!

Crushed in a Pestle & Mortar

Fried golden brown with cumin

Sprinkled on warm flat beans

Nutty, pungent, sweet and soft - Warm Flat Beans salad.

[typography font="Cantarell" size="24" size_format="px" color="#b36f98"]Ingredients:[/typography]

• A bunch of flat beans
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• 1 whole pod of garlic
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

Clean the flat beans and cut both ends, removing the fiber on both sides.  Place them in salted water and boil till slightly soft. I cooked them soft but you can also just blanch them if you want to retain the crunch. Strain the water and keep it aside. Don’t throw away the water it was cooked in. Use it in soups and curries for extra flavor and nutrition.

Peel and crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar. I used an entire pod here. Use more or less depending on your taste.

Heat the oil of your choice. Add the crushed garlic and cumin. Fry till the garlic turns golden brown.

Place the flat beans in the serving bowl and sprinkle the fried garlic and cumin on top.  Serve warm or cold.