This summer and fall, I have been getting a ton of string green beans and using them in all sorts of ways.
Inspired by making a vegetable achar (spicy pickle condiment) in Delhi with my great aunt, which usually calls for cauliflower, radish and carrots, I decided to blanch and pickle my string beans (shimi in Hindi) in a similar fashion. Not a bad idea too when you are stuck inside because of a hurricane;)
This is a quick pickle that requires mustard oil to get a really pungent flavor, along with a few ground spices, fresh onion, lemon and salt. My great aunt’s recipe also includes ground mustard seeds and hing, but I kind of just threw what I already had ground, but will share her exact recipe this winter with root vegetables I have on hand.
This type of pickle is usually served as a condiment alongside a meal of rotis, curry & rice, but I ended up serving them up in a variety of ways – in veggie burgers, with scrambled eggs, in a taco and just plain as a snack.
Ingredients
1/2 pound green string beans, stems removed
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard oil
1/4 white or yellow onion, cut into ringlets
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
squeeze of lemon
salt
Method
Wash string beans. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in string beans and cook for 4 minutes or until they are bright green and still crunchy. Throw beans into a bath of ice water for 5 minutes.
Drain the string beans and dry them completely.
Put string beans in a bowl with mustard oil, onion, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric and mix well. Add a squeeze of lemon and salt and mix well.
Cover bowl and place in fridge. The beans should be ready to eat in 2 hours and will keep for the week in the fridge.
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Well hello there! It was such a pleasure to visit your blog and especially to read this blog post. Will you be so nice and give an answer to my question. Did you have any experience with guest blogging?
Wow! this looks yummy…what can I sub for mustard oil? Will grapeseed oil work? TIA
Hi Tia, You could sub in grapeseed oil for sure for this recipe!