Fasoleyya
Green beans are one of those foods that stands the test of time.
This popular vegetable shows up in a number of cultural cuisines, and for that reason serves as a relatively universal ingredient (showing up in Asian, European, North & South American, and Medeteranian culture). This is owed partly to how easily this pod grows.
Dipping its identity into the legumes bucket makes it a nutritious and delicious choice for any meal. Given that it does share qualities with its legume siblings means that it shares the health benefits derived from other legumes too.
Funny enough, I spent all of last week craving green beans, and my intuition was surely calling on this dish. I gave my momma a call and had her relay the recipe to me (with my fingers crossed that it would turn out just as she prepares it).
Green beans are an ingredient that I think proves the power of spices and cooking process on food outcomes. What I mean by this, is that it is an ingredient that can be easily blacklisted as too bland without the right preparation process or flavouring additions.
Green beans can very easily get over cooked, and a good indicator of how it is holding up, is its colour. These pods have a relatively tough exterior (full of fibre) and definitely require sufficient cooking time to break down the fibres, just keep in tune with the beans so that they don’t get over cooked.
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Recipe:
Yield: 4 portions.
Time: 40 min
Preparation: 10 min
Cooking: 30 min
Ingredients
4 cups of washed green beans
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 medium sized golden onions
3-4 roma tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Corriander powder
Red Aleppo chilli flakes
Directions
Prep:
Dice the onion
Cut the tips of the green beans off and discard. Then, cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces
Dice the tomato
Mince 1-2 garlic cloves
Preheat a pot on med-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot
Dice up the onion and add it to the pot once it is hot enough. Cook until lightly golden, but not crispy (you need the moisture from the onion to remain loose through its membranes to evenly flavour the dish)
Add the minced garlic cloves and cook for 2 min or until fragrant
Once the onions are cooked to golden/translucent, add the green beans and stir them in well. Cook for 15-20 min on medium heat
Add the diced the tomato to the green beans and onion pot once the green beans are tender
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of corriander powder and mix in well
Season generously with salt, and about a teaspoon of pepper. Stir well
Optional: Add a generous pinch of Aleppo red chilli flakes for a kick!
The cooking time can be shortened if an el dente texture is prefered - the critical thing to note is that the aim is to coat each individual 1-inch piece in the yummy onion-y mixture.
Serve as a main dish with warm pita bread or as a side to any main protein (chicken, beef, salmon etc). Or, refigerate for cold and delectable bean salad! A little bit can go a far way with green beans as they are packed with protein and fibre!
Sahtayn,
