Barbati aka yard long beans are a regular fare at the local market though they hardly make an appearance at our dining table. This morning as Nehal was leaving for school, a young mobile vegetable vendor, greeted us at our doorstep to sell farm-fresh long beans, ridge gourd and raw plantains. These vegetables among others are grown on his small piece land situated in a village 28 kms away from Vizag. From what I gathered, he sells farm-fresh produce directly to the consumers, eliminating any middle men, at half the market price. I bought 1/2 kg of each variety and told him to bring fresh vegetables and greens on a regular basis.
He picked the beans early in the morning, so they couldn’t be more fresh. I prepared a stir fry by combining potatoes similar to the french beans potato stir fry I had blogged earlier. Simply fabulous! I wondered why I gave these beans a step-motherly treatment all this while. Anyway, I am going to cook them often now with a lot of motherly love. 🙂
Barbati Bangaladumpa Vepudu Recipe
Prep & Cooking: 40-45 mts
Serves 4 persons
Cuisine: Andhra
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1/4 kg runner beans (string, chop, par boil in water with 1/4 tsp salt and pinch of turmeric for 6-7 mts)
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
pinch of turmeric pwd
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
pinch roasted methi pwd
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, crushed
10-12 curry leaves
1 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add mustard seeds and as they jump around, add the cumin and as they crackle, add garlic and fresh curry leaves and saute for few secs.
2 Add the cubed potatoes and salt. Combine, place lid and simmer for 15 mts or till the potatoes are three-fourth cooked. Add the coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, chilli pwd and methi pwd and combine.
3 Add the par-boiled runner beans and combine. Sprinkle few tbsps of water and place lid. Simmer for about 12-14 mts or till the beans and potatoes are fork tender.
4 Adjust salt and stir fry without lid on high flame for a mt and combine well. Turn off heat and serve with rice or rotis.
