Makkai Fras Beans | Sweet Corn with French Beans

I have written about my love for green beans before. I guess it goes back to the days when my Mum grew a vegetable garden right next to our kitchen. Beautiful, green creepers climbed up a pretty trellis yielding crisp green beans which we would pick in the late afternoon sunlight.

Today, I grow some of my own in the summer, but I get the bulk of them via a great organic farm not too far from home. Green beans are so versatile and flavourful that they can be added many dishes - mains or sides. I make Makkai Fras Beans every so often for lunch. Its a light vegetable that goes beautifully with rotis and a cup of fresh home made dahi (yogurt).

Ingredients:
2 cups green beans, french cut
3/4 cup sweetcorn
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp urad dal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 green chili
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida)
7-8 curry leaves

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the cumin, green chili, and curry leaves.
2. Add the urad dal and hing. Stir for a few minutes. 
3. Now throw in the green beans and corn. Stir to coat evenly with spices and oil. 
4. Pour in a quarter cup of water - cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the salt, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat. Let the vegetable sit in its own heat for a couple of minutes.

Enjoy hot with chappatis, pickle, and yogurt.

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