Receta All the Cream, None of the Moo. Green Beans in Cashew Cream
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All the Cream, None of the Moo. Green Beans in Cashew Cream
The other day I was looking for an easy vegetable to fix for lunch. Lunch is a big deal at our house, the main meal of the day. Breakfast is usually fruit and green tea, diner is some fresh raw vegetables and cheeses, but lunch? Lunch is where the real cooking happens. Except on company dinner nights and weekends, otherrulesmayapply. I sound like one of those denier ads that come with that air mattress you bought that was available ONLY ON TV! Okay, the air mattress I bought. Never mind, because I don't want to talk about it. Lunch is usually some form of protein and at least two vegetables which doesn't sound terribly romantic or interesting, except when one considers that those vegetables are usually prepared Indian style.
Last week there was a sale on fresh local green beans so I picked up a pound of them to fix for lunch. Note: About green beans, these don't do so well stored in the fridge and should be eaten within two days of purchase as opposed to say, cauliflower which the older it gets the better it gets. When you think cauliflower, think cougars. If you don't believe me, listen to my friend Nisha Katona over in the UK.
But, back to the green beans. I was looking for a way to prepare them that would be different and jazz them up a bit. I thought about doing a sauce made of white poppy seeds (which I thought I had in the pantry) but I had't any. What I did have however was cashews, and cashews can be turned in to a delicious creamy sauce that works perfectly with string beans. I mentioned that this is cream without the moo, meaning non-dairy. I prepared the sauce using yogurt as a binder but one can just as easily use soy yogurt and turn the dish from simple vegetarian to vegan.
Green Beans In Cashew Cream
Here's What You Need:
- 1 lb of fresh string beans
- 1 fresh serrano chili
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
- 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
- 3 Tbs raw, unsalted chopped cashews
- 6 curry leaves or 1/2 a bay leaf
- 3/4 cup of yogurt or soy yogurt for a vegan dish
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
- 3 Tbs of vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Here's What To Do:
Wash, drain and chop the string beans into 1 inch pieces.
Steam them gently for about 8 minutes, until they're cooked but not soft, you want them al dente.
Set them aside.
In a blender or grinder or food processor mix together the cashews, yogurt,chili,cumin seeds, ginger, and half of the chopped cilantro.
Blend them altogether until you have a smooth cream.
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet, or kadhai.
When the oil is hot, add in the curry leaves or the bay leaf and stir things around for about 30 seconds.
Add in the steamed green beans...
...and Yogurt sauce, salt and nutmeg.
Stir things around on a medium heat and cook until the sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.
Take it off the heat, sprinkle with the rest of the chopped cilantro and serve it up.
This can be served hot, or you can make it ahead and serve it at room temperature.
Okay, so how was it? we loved it, and that got me thinking about trying this recipe with other sorts of nuts. Pistachio, or walnuts come to mind since I always have those in the house. This dish took no time to make. The most involved part of the whole thing was chopping those green beans, but you can always do what I do and chop them up the night before, wrap them tight and store them in the fridge. Either way, this is something that can be on the table in 30 minutes, and some days that's exactly what's needed.
Coming up next more experimenting, and my dehydrator sits staring at me like some sort of guilt carousel that's begging me to feed it jerked salmon and chili rubbed mango slices. Meanwhile I feel like I'm getting my Girl Scout pharmacist's badge sorting out my mom's pill case. The most often asked question is, can I have a cocktail with that??? Follow along on Twitter @kathygori