French Bean Foogath
Goan green beans with coconut and curry leaves: thin, snapped beans tossed with a mustard-seed temper and fresh coconut. A weekday side that takes 15 minutes from chopping board to plate.
Overview
French beans are trimmed and chopped into 1 cm pieces. A temper of mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chilli and curry leaves is bloomed in coconut oil, sliced onion is softened briefly, and the beans are tossed in with a splash of water to steam-cook them through. Fresh grated coconut is folded through at the end with a finishing pinch of green chilli.
Ingredients
Beans
- 400 g French beans (or fine green beans; trimmed and cut into 1 cm pieces)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
Temper
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 2 dried red chillies (broken in half)
- 15 fresh curry leaves
- 1 onion (small, finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
To finish
- 60 g fresh grated coconut (or 50 g desiccated, rehydrated in 2 tablespoons of warm water)
- 1 green chilli (finely chopped)
- 50 ml water (for the brief steam)
Method
Stage 1 - Temper
- Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Add the mustard seeds; when they pop, add the urad dal and dried red chilli.
- Cook for 30 seconds until the dal turns golden.
- Add the curry leaves; sizzle for 5 seconds.
Stage 2 - Soften the base
- Add the chopped onion and garlic with a pinch of salt.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
Stage 3 - Cook the beans
- Add the chopped beans, turmeric and salt.
- Toss for 1 minute to coat.
- Pour in the 50 ml of water.
- Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring once midway, until the beans are tender but still bright green.
- Lift the lid and cook for 2 more minutes for any water to evaporate.
Stage 4 - Coconut
- Sprinkle in the grated coconut and chopped green chilli.
- Toss for 1 minute until the coconut is warm through.
- Taste and adjust salt.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Serve hot alongside rice, fish curry or any Goan main.
Notes
- Don't overcook the beans: Pull while they still have a definite bite. Foogath should crunch slightly between the teeth.
- Tiny dice on the beans: Chopping the beans to a uniform 1 cm makes the dish eat well with a spoon and a fork. Long beans are awkward.
- Coconut goes in last: Adding it at the start risks burning. Folded in off the heat (or under low heat for 1 minute) it stays soft and white.
Storage
- Best the day it's made.
- Refrigerate up to 2 days; the beans dull but the flavour holds.
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A foogath is the Goan version of a coconut-stir-fry vegetable: a temper of mustard seeds, dried red chilli, urad dal and curry leaves in coconut oil, sliced onion and garlic cooked briefly, then the vegetable tossed in over high heat. Fresh grated coconut is folded through at the end. The cabbage keeps a slight crunch and gets a nutty-sweet finish.
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