Pawata Beans Bhaji

 Pawata Beans Bhaji Recipe 

The foggy cold mornings with those tiny droplets on the grass, the warm and pleasant sunrises, the weaving of sweaters in the afternoons, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, a whole lot of recipes that mother made, early evenings, and the coziness of the hand made quilts was what winters were all about.

I remember my mother making pickles of carrots, chilies, and even the one with mixed veggies like cauliflower, peas, carrots, chilies etc. During the monsoon, my father sowed seeds of a variety of vegetables which he could reap in the winter. Amongst these, the Lima Beans climber was his favorite. A whole white crowd of white flowers would bloom, popping their heads up with tiny bees hovering around. When the legumes formed, we'd pluck them in handwoven bamboo baskets and pod them for cooking. Some legumes would dry on the plant and and later podded to obtain dried beans. These would then be soaked overnight, peeled and cooked with jaggery and tamarind. That was an entirely different version with a different taste altogether.  Today however,  we'd make curry from the fresh green beans.

Botanical Name- 

Pavta or Phaseolus (bean, wild beans), a widely consumed vegetable. Val beans also known as Lima Beans or Pawata in India is a great source of protein, vitamins and fibre. Val beans are flat, oval - shaped and whitish or greenish in colour. They are easy to prepare, taste rich and buttery and are packed with a lot of nutrients.

Nutritional Benefits

Val, Pawata or Lima Beans are considered as one of the most nutritious foods.Val is a rich source of fibre. The insoluble fibre in lima beans can help you ease constipation and keep your digestive system healthy. Val also has a low glycaemic index which means that it will not spike your blood sugar too much when you eat it. The soluble fibre in lima beans can help stabilise your blood sugar levels. Val ( pawata) is also a great source of energy because it contains a good amount of slow burning carbohydrates. And for all you vegans out there, lima beans are a great source of plant protein!

Ingredients

• Pawata beans (peeled)

• Chopped onions

• Chopped tomatoes

• Finely chopped coriander

• Green paste

• Onion paste

• Garam masala

• Red chilli powder

• Turmeric powder

• Asefotida

• Mustard seeds

• Cumin seeds

• Jaggery (optional)

• Grated fresh coconut (optional)

• Salt

• Water

To make the onion paste

Simply fry some coarsely cut onions in a wok and grind them to make a smooth paste.

To make the green paste

Take 5-6 garlic cloves, a medium bulb of ginger, 2-3 green chillies, and a handful of coriander leaves. Make a smooth paste out of it.

Preparation

Place the Lima beans in a vessel, pour water just enough to cover them. Add ½ table spoon of salt and boil it for approximately 10-15 mins or till they get a brownish tint. Boiling extracts the bitterness from them and makes them soft and eatable. Press a bean to check if it’s cooked. Strain it and keep it aside.

In a cooking pot pour 6-7 tps of cooking oil. You can use any oil. I prefer groundnut oil since it has a nice taste and aroma. Drop in ½ tps of mustard seeds. When they crackle, add ½ tps of cumin seeds and ½ tps of asefotida. 

In goes the chopped onions. Fry them till golden brown. Add 2 tps of onion paste and 2 tps of the green paste. Saute till it gets a light brown color. 

Now drop in the chopped tomatoes and saute again till they get soft. Flavor it with 1 tps of garam masala and red chilli powder, saute. 

Drop in the cooked beans and saute again. Add salt for taste. Now pour in water, just enough to cover the beans. The consistency should be that of a curry. Now, bring it to a boil and taste it. I do this always to check if a little more salt is required. And this is the best practice I think. At this stage, you could even add a small piece of jaggery just to give it a sweet taste. But that is completely optional as most people do not like the curry or sabzi to taste sweet. 

Garnish it with freshly grated coconut, coriander leaves and serve hot. You can complement this dish with roties or paratha, daal, rice & salad.

So …go back, make it and relish it!