When I was growing up, we had a faded moss-green runner bean stringer that and a handheld rotary whisk for souffle and the knife sharpener. The bean stringer came out for a few weeks a year. Stringing beans would always be Dad’s job, because he loved them (still does). That bean stringer has now migrated to my kitchen and recently I’ve been stringing beans for dinner most nights. The two stand-out things I’ve made are a Keralan runner bean curry, and some buttery, soft runner beans cooked under a layer of olive oil, which a Turkish friend, Rosie, used to make us.
Keralan runner bean curry (pictured above)
This a quite a dry curry based very loosely on a thoran, but mine has a bit more sauce than a traditional thoran to suit British tastes. If you have the time and the inclination, you could use a fresh coconut and grate it, in place of the desiccated coconut – the resulting flavour will be worth it.
Prep 30 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 green chillies
1 small thumb ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Coconut or vegetable oil
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp coriander seeds, bashed in a mortar
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
50g unsweetened desiccated coconut, soaked in cold water for a minimum of 20 minutes
400g potatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
400g runner beans, destringed and sliced at an angle into 2cm lengths
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 handful curry leaves (optional)
1 lemon
To serve
1 green chilli, chopped
1 small bunch coriander, chopped
Cooked brown or white rice
4 roti or chapatis
Salted dairy-free yoghurt
Pickles and chutney
First put the onion, chilli, ginger and garlic in a blender with two tablespoons of water and blitz to a paste. If you don’t have a blender, just finely chop everything.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a deep pan, add the onion mixture and cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat, until you have a thick, fragrant paste, adding a little more water if it’s beginning to stick before it’s cooked.
Next, add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook for two minutes until they give off a toasted aroma, then add the coconut milk, desiccated coconut and potatoes. Fill the coconut milk tin with water and add this too, along with a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked.
Next add the runner beans and cook for a further six minutes, until the runners are cooked and have taken on the flavour of the sauce.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, if using, and a good grind of black pepper, and cook until the curry leaves are crisp and the mustard seeds pop. Take off the heat and drain on kitchen paper.
Back to the curry: once the beans are cooked, taste, add salt and lemon juice to taste (I usually go for a whole lemon but you may prefer less), then finish with the chopped green chilli and coriander. Serve with rice and rotis, salted yoghurt, pickles and chutneys.
Olive-oil braised runners with tomato
I serve these for lunch or dinner with feta, crusty bread and some salad. You can buy stringless runner beans; otherwise peel them along the sides with a veg peeler ... or use a bean stringer.
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 4
150ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
200g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
400g runner beans, destringed and sliced at an angle into 2cm lengths
2 tsp dried oregano
Juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for about five minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, then add the tomatoes, green beans, oregano and a good pinch of salt. You are braising the beans, so you want them to be covered in the oil and tomato mixture; if they are not, add a little water.
Turn the heat down to low and cook the beans for 45 minutes to an hour. Check every now and then to make sure that the beans aren’t dry, adding more water if needed.
The beans are done when they are soft and no longer squeaky, but not falling apart. Squeeze in the juice of half the lemon and grind in some black pepper. Taste, adding more salt, pepper and lemon as needed. Serve at room temperature.
