Aloo beans sabzi are an Indian vegetable side-dish consisting of stir-fried green beans, potatoes, and flavourful spices like turmeric, chillies, and masala. Aloo means potatoes in Hindi, and sabzi means vegetable dish: simple names that make for a tasty and easy recipe! Let's take a closer look.
To make aloo beans sabzi, we used baby potatoes and French beans (AKA green beans). You can have this dish on its own, or as a dry curry paired with rice or chapati.
In the traditional recipe, potatoes are cut in big chunks and cooked together with the other ingredients. If you want your potatoes to have a crunchy finish, then you'll like our approach below. We have cut the potatoes into coins and griddled them on their own before adding in the french beans.
Aloo beans keep well in the fridge, and they're easy to reheat in a skillet, so feel free to cook a big batch!
On its own, this recipe will give you 21% RDI for fibres, 7% RDI for fats, 11% RDI for carbs, and 190 calories. As a side dish, aloo beans excel when paired with other sources of proteins and carbs. If you are on a strict vegan diet, consider pairing this starter with wheat-bread rather than rice, to give your body complete proteins[1].
This recipe is ready in just 30 minutes, great for when you're short on time. It's quite tasty when eaten cold as well, so it's a perfect match for your lunch-boxes!
Which are the best potatoes for this aloo beans recipe?
As you'll have to pan-fry the potatoes in a skillet with a little oil, we recommend avoiding starchy varieties, or you'll end up with a soggy and mashy mess.
Baby potatoes, Maris Piper or Desirée are all excellent choices for this Indian recipe instead as they will give you a crispy, crusty, and golden result.
What goes well with aloo beans?
This aloo beans recipe is the perfect side dish to accompany curries, daal, brown rice, and chapati. Check out our tasty recommendations below:
Can I use frozen green beans?
Yes, absolutely. You can use either fresh or frozen green beans for this recipe.
If you're opting for the frozen ones, you can leave them to thaw in hot water for 10 minutes before chopping them. Alternatively, you can use them whole and add them frozen to the skillet with the potatoes. Then, allow some extra time for cooking.
Ingredients
| Potatoes | 600 g |
| Vegetable Oil | 2 tbsp |
| Cumin Seeds | 1 tsp |
| Brown Mustard Seeds | 1 tsp |
| Green Beans | 360 g |
| Ground Turmeric | 1 tsp |
| Chilli Flakes | 1 tsp |
| Garam Masala | 1 tsp |
| Lime Juice | 2 tbsp |
| Fresh Coriander | to taste |
Step 1
We have used baby potatoes in this recipe, but feel free to opt for other potato varieties you like. You can find more tips and info about the best potatoes for this stir-fry in our FAQ section.
Keeping the skin on, cut the potatoes into small chunks or 1 cm thick coins.
Then, add them to a pot with boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and sizzle the cumin and mustard seeds for a few minutes.
Next, drain the potatoes and add them to the skillet. Pan-fry them over medium heat for 4 minutes without moving them. Then, flip them and cook them for 3 more minutes.
To make the potatoes crusty and golden, we recommend arranging them into a single layer and cook them in batches if they don't fit in your skillet all in one go.
Step 3
Now, chop the green beans into bite-size pieces and then add them to the skillet with the potatoes.
Tip in ground turmeric and chilli flakes and stir-fry all for 5 minutes. Make sure the beans are tender and cooked through but still a bit crunchy.
Step 4
Finally, sprinkle the aloo beans with masala powder and drizzle with lime juice. Then, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide this vegetable stir-fry among dishes and garnish with fresh coriander to taste.
Tips
The classic aloo bean sabzi recipe includes amchur powder, a seasoning made from unripe mangoes that adds a slightly sour taste to the dish. While we swapped it with lime juice in our recipe, feel free to use amchur if you have it. Use 1/2 tsp for every 2 tablespoons of lime juice.
Some aloo beans recipes also include fresh onions and ginger root. You can sizzle chopped onions and grated ginger along with the seeds before adding the potatoes and beans.
Try adding freshly grated coconut or dried coconut flakes to this vegetable dish for a refreshing touch.