Tomato and green bean sevai

This is another recipe from the marvellous Fresh India by Meera Sodha. I urge you to buy this book if you haven't already, as it's full of fantastic vegetable-based recipes. I used to be a little nervous about cooking Indian food, worried about all the spices and the order to put things in, and how long to cook things for. These simple, easy to follow recipes have made me a much more confident cook!

Serves 2

vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free

Ingredients

any oil with a high smoke point, e.g. sunflower, rapeseed, coconut

250g green beans, topped and tailed

10 curry leaves

1 and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 red onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red chilli, seeds removed (the CHW ones are quite lively, so use less if you like things less spicy)

250g tomatoes, chopped into eighths

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

300g rice noodles (I struggled to find these, so ended up using the straight to wok variety)

juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

  1. Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan that you have a lid for (you'll need the lid later). Add the green beans and cook for 2 mins to let them blister a bit. Then toss and cook for another 4 minutes, tossing again halfway through. Set aside.
  2. Put 2tbsp oil in the hot pan, and once it's heated, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add the onion and cook for 5-10 mins, until the onion is soft and golden.
  3. Add the garlic and chillies and cook for another 3-4 mins.
  4. Add the tomatoes, cover with the lid, and cook for 5 mins. The tomatoes should become a bit soft and jam-like.
  5. Add the salt, black pepper, noodles and green beans. Toss to heat. Add the lemon juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  6. Serve immediately.

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)

Tomato and green bean sevai in bowls