This green beans and potatoes curry is the definition of subtle flavors! The creamy and delicate poppy seeds sauce, cooked in mustard oil is just the kind of curry you need to add variety to your dinner rotations. This easy vegan dish pairs well with vegan tortillas, steamed rice, or gluten free naan.
There is something so nice about recipes as simple as this. If you can get fresh, homemade food that tastes so good with such little effort, there is no reason not to cook at home, right?!
There is a thinking that curries are complicated, require lots of ingredients, are spicy, oily and so on.....while that is true for some curries, there are also so many delicious curries that are so easy to make! For example, this nourishing green moong dal comes together with such little effort and even fewer ingredients!
What is your favorite curry? Do let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear from you! xx Padma
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Green beans and potatoes curry ingredients
Just 6 ingredients (plus water and salt, of course!) and you will be on your way to making a smashing curry!
As always, see the recipe card for quantities.
Nigella seeds: Also known as kalonji in Hindi, these tiny tear-drop-shaped seeds impart a heady onion-like flavor to the dish.
Mustard oil: Do use this oil instead of any other. The pungent tone of the oil works beautifully with the creaminess of this curry.
Poppy seeds: This is the star ingredient of this recipe. High on taste and nutrition, these tiny ivory-colored seeds give this curry its creamy texture.
Potatoes: This is a quick weeknight-dinner sort of recipe and therefore remember to pre-boil your potato.
Green chilies: Go easy on them if heat is not your forte! I have used mild green chilies for this recipe because I want their flavor and not too much heat.
This recipe is free from
Gluten
Grain
Nuts
Dairy
This recipe is also vegan and allium-free.
Instructions
This is a heathly and easy recipe. Let's make it!
See recipe card for detailed instructions
Step 1: Start by soaking the poppy seeds in warm water. This will soften them and they will grind to a smooth sauce with little effort.
Step 2: Chop the green beans and dice the boiled potato (with skin and all) into bite sized pieces.
Step 3: Place a frying pan over medium heat and add the mustard oil to it. Wait till the oil starts to smoke. Now add the nigella seeds, the beans, a splash of water. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Step 4: While the beans are cooking, grind the poppy seeds, along with the water in which they are soaking, and green chilies till smooth. Keep aside.
Step 5: The green beans would be cooked by this time. Add the diced potatoes, poppy seeds sauce and salt. Mix well and cook over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes.
Add another splash of water (only if required) to loosen the sauce.
When the water from the sauce is absorbed and the sauce coats the vegetables nice and thick, you know that the curry is done and ready to be served.
I told you it's easy! Enjoy this as a side with rice or with bread of your choice.
A note about poppy seeds
These are the tiny, hard, kidney shaped oilseed of the poppy flower. They come in 2 colors: the blue-grey variety is most common in European cookery and the ivory colored seeds are more popular in Indian cooking. Although the poppy is a source of opium, the seeds of the flower lose their narcotic tendencies are they ripen.
We all have heard of the phrase that good things come in small packages, haven't we? Well, this truly applies to poppy seeds - these tiny seeds are packed with healing powers.
💡 Poppy seeds have strong anti inflammatory properties and therefore widely used in many traditional health treatments and therapies for treating inflammation and sleep disorders.
They are also a rich source of essential oils and minerals. Read more about the health benefits of poppy seeds.
Poppy seeds are used in cooking in India and known by many different names - postu or posto in Bengali, khus khus in Hindi, gasagase in Kannada, gasagasalu in Telugu.
Cooking with poppy seeds: In European/Western cooking, poppy seeds are usually used in bakery items, mainly as topping on bagels and in muffins. In Indian cooking however, they are used, sometimes along with other nuts and seeds, as gravy/sauce for curries. There are some amazing desserts using poppy seeds as well such as khuskhus halwa and poppy seeds payasam.
Pro tips, notes and substitutions
Mustard oil: Do not have mustard oil in your store cupboard? No worries, use olive oil or any other oil of your choice.
Top tip: To temper the pungency of mustard oil, allow it to come to a smoking point before adding other ingredients.
Swap: Potato with sweet potatoes or red potatoes - will add a delicious sweetness and hue to the dish! I use regular baking potatoes. You can use new potatoes as well.
Green beans: Fresh green beans are available abundantly throughout the year these days. For best taste, texture and fast cooking, use the tender ones. Frozen green beans work well for this recipe. Just add the frozen beans straight to the pan, place the lid and let cook in the steam. Canned green beans, on the other hand, will not work well for this dish because they can become quite mushy and ruin the texture of the dish.
Meal Prepping:
- As mentioned earlier, use pre boiled potatoes - will save you a lot of time (as part of my weekly meal prep routine, I have some boiled some potatoes in the fridge at all times).
- Make the poppy seeds sauce ahead of time - a day or two in advance and keep it in the fridge.
Storage: This recipe will stay good for a couple of days in the fridge. Store it in a glass or stainless steel container.
Additional flavors: This recipe is all about getting more with few ingredients. The delicate flavors are what makes this dish almost irresitible! You can, however, amp up the flavors by adding minced garlic and onion to the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add these to green beans for flavor:
1. Minced garlic
2. Nigella seeds
3. Red chili flakes
4. Lime juice
5. Butter
Green beans are a great carrier for flavors and spices. You can spice up green beans by adding red chili flakes. You can also add a dash of garam masala to spice up plain green beans.
Green beans and potatoes work perfectly well together! They are the prefect balance between fibre and carbs. Potatoes do take longer to cook than green beans and so make sure you cook the potatoes before adding the beans.
If you have made this mild and creamy green beans and potatoes curry, please take a moment to leave a comment and /or a rating below. This will make me super happy and motivate me to create more good content for you! xx Padma
Green Beans and Potatoes Curry
Equipment
- 1 skillet
- 1 spatula
- 1 mixer-grinder
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons white poppy seeds / postu (45 grams, approximately)
- 5 green chillies
- 1 cup water (warm)
The curry
- 3 and ½ ounces green beans (100 grams)
- 1 large boiled potato (7 ounces; 200 grams approximately)
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil
- ½ teaspoon nigella seeds/ kalonji
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnishes (totally optional)
- fried onions
- finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
- Soak the poppy seeds in ¼ cup (80 ml) of warm water for 15 minutes.3 tablespoons white poppy seeds / postu
- While the poppy seeds are soaking, chop the green beans into about 1-inch pieces. Chop the potato (skin and all) into bite-sized pieces.
- Measure the rest of the ingredients and keep them ready.
- After the poppy seeds have soaked, grind them along with the water in which they were soaking and the green chilies to a smooth paste. Add the remaining water. Keep this sauce aside. While grinding, add 2-3 tablespoons more of water if needed.5 green chillies, 1 cup water (warm)
- Place a skillet on medium-high heat. Add the oil. When the oil begins to smoke, add the nigella seeds.1 tablespoon mustard oil, ½ teaspoon nigella seeds/ kalonji
- Add the chopped beans and 2 tablespoons of water. Place the lid and let the beans cook in their steam for 5 minutes or until they are cooked al dente.2 tablespoons water, 3 and ½ ounces green beans
- Remove the lid, lower the heat to medium-low and add the chopped boiled potato, salt, and poppy seeds sauce. Mix. Cook for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken and coat the vegetables. This is the consistency we are looking for for this curry.1 teaspoon salt, 1 large boiled potato
- Add garnish if you prefer - I like this curry without any garnishes.fried onions, finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
- Serve as a side with your favorite meal. I love having this curry with jeera rice.
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