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Sri Lankan string bean curry

This Sri Lankan green bean curry takes less than 20 minutes to cook with minimum ingredients.

String beans are cooked in thick coconut milk, tempered with onions, garlic, and turmeric then cooked in medium heat to make a flavorful creamy mild vegetarian green bean curry.

What’s more, if you don’t have long beans, you can use any variety of beans available to you including frozen beans.

Healthy, Low-carb, gluten-free, and vegan, try this green bean curry recipe as a side dish.

What to serve with this Sri Lankan string bean curry.

Wondering what goes well with green bean curry?
Here are some options to try.

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Sri Lankan string bean curry

How to pick fresh green beans at the supermarket.

I know you are busy, I know it’s a bunch of vegetables, you just want to get in, buy all your groceries including the vegetables and get out but YOU are spending money on those vegetables and YOU are going to cook them for your family so pay attention to what you are buying especially the greens.

Choosing the good fresh beans is easy, they have to be firm and without spots, look at them carefully to see if they have a wilted look.

I don’t know how many of you do this but rather than picking out vegetables that are closer to me I always tend to pick the ones that are further away on the stand.

I mean picking out the new ones from the old beans. 

I have this theory that the supermarkets will always want to get rid of the old produce first, so they place them where you can reach them easily.

I do the same in the meat and poultry section, I notice they tend to choose the one that is close to me, not the one that is closer to the person who is on the other side of the counter.

Buy the quantity you need per serving as they can spoil and within a few days.

Frequently asked questions: Sri Lankan green bean curry.

  • What is string bean?
    • String beans and long beans are one and the same. Chinese long bean, and snake bean are some other names to refer to this bean type.
  • What is the difference between long beans and regular green beans?
    • The main difference is that long beans grow in vines while regular green beans grow in plants.
    • taste-wise, I would say long beans have a more earthy flavour whereas green beans have a distinct softer buttery texture.
  • Can I use green beans instead of long beans?
    • Yes, you can use any top of beans to make this exact bean recipe.
  • What are the nutrient factors in long/string Beans?
    • A little search engine magic should give you these details but just to make things easy for you.
    • Any type of Beans is a good source of Calcium, Iron, and Potassium, the vitamins are A, C, K and folic acid.
    • They’ll give you your daily plant-based Protein and is rich in fibre.
  • How many calories are there in 500g of beans?
    • There are 155 calories.

Appliances and utensils needed.

Chopping board/knife

All you need is a skillet/frying pan/regular cooking pan to make the long bean curry.

More green bean recipes.

Sri Lankan spicy potato green bean stir-fry.

spicy green beans stir fry(bonchi thel dala).

vegan green beans and coconut stir-fry.

green beans-garlic stir-fried in browned butter.

Carrot and Beans curry(Sri Lankan, vegetarian).

Beef and green beans stir-fry.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-EASY

Sri Lankan green bean curry

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

Ingredients to cook the beans curry

250g of string Beans cut into an angle

4 tablespoons of oil

A sprig of curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf)

1 medium-sized onion(sliced fine)

3 cloves of garlic minced or sliced fine

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder

A pinch of chilli powder or chilli flakes(optional)

1/4 cup of coconut milk(add 1/2 a cup if you need gravy)

Salt to taste

Method

Wash the beans, and pinch off both tips of the string beans.

and cut them at a slight angle. set them aside.

Place a skillet over medium heat and pour in the oil.

Add the curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf), onions, garlic and, turmeric.

Sauté the ingredients for 2 minutes until the onions turn golden.

Reduce the heat to low, then add the string beans you’ve cut with the sautéed ingredients in the skillet.

Season with salt and cook the beans for 3-5 minutes over low- medium heat.

Once the beans are cooked for two minutes, pour in the coconut milk with the optional chilli powder or red chilli flakes.

Let the green bean curry simmer for five minutes while mixing them with coconut milk.

 The beans will cook in coconut milk and gradually reduce to coat the beans.

Serve warm with any of the side dish options given above.

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green bean curry cooked in coconut milk.

Sri Lankan String bean curry with Turmeric and Coconut milk.

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This Sri Lankan green bean curry takes less than 20 minutes to cook with minimum ingredients.

String beans cooked in thick coconut milk and tempered with onions, garlic, and turmeric then cooked in medium heat make a flavorful creamy mild vegetarian green bean curry.

Ingredients

  • 250g of string Beans cut into an angle
  • 4 tablespoons of oil
  • A sprig of curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf)
  • 1 medium-sized onion(sliced fine)
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced or sliced fine
  • 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • A pinch of chilli powder or chilli flakes(optional)
  • 1/4 cup of coconut milk(add 1/2 a cup if you need gravy)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash the beans, and pinch off both tips of the string beans.
  2. Cut them at a slight angle. set them aside.
  3. Place a skillet over medium heat and pour in the oil.
  4. Add the curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf), onions, garlic and, turmeric.
  5. Sauté the ingredients for 2 minutes until the onions turn golden.
  6. Reduce the heat to low, then add the string beans you’ve cut with the sautéed ingredients in the skillet.
  7. Season with salt and cook the beans for 3-5 minutes over low- medium heat.
  8. Once the beans are cooked for two minutes, pour in the coconut milk with the optional chilli powder or red chilli flakes.
  9. Let the green bean curry simmer for five minutes while mixing them with coconut milk.
  10. The beans will cook in coconut milk and gradually reduce to coat the beans.
  11. Serve warm with any of the side dish options given above.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 332Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 648mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g

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It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

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Libby

Sunday 23rd of January 2022

You can use a bit of unroasted spices in the oil with garlic etc for a better appetising smell n taste

Hesala H.

Friday 11th of September 2020

Hi Jehan, I made this curry today. it's so simple and so delicious. Thank you for making my life easy.

Joani Taylor

Monday 7th of August 2017

Yes me too without curry leaves can I use curry powder and if so how much?

jehan

Monday 7th of August 2017

Hi Joani, Curry leaves and curry powder are completely different ingredients. Curry leaves are used just as you would use Bay leaves or other herbs. Curry powder is a mix of cummin, coriander roasted and the powdered, so they are different. If you can't find it, replace it with a Bay leaf which is not a substitute but would go well with all the other ingredients. Hope this helps.

Tammy

Wednesday 2nd of August 2017

What could you use in pace of curry leaves?

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