Healthy green french beans

Green beans also are known as French beans, string beans or snap beans is a nice crunchy low-calorie food rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Silicon (good for healthy bones, skin and hair)

However, most of the time its hidden being part of mixed vegetables in dishes like fried rice, noodles, pasta, salad or soup. And if not, its stir-fried, sauteed or gravy version is not very popular. So, I thought why not bring the green bean dishes into the popular exotic category.

Let us start from the beginning.

The healthy green french beans taste best when they are fresh and break with a snap.

Freezing or cutting and storing reduces the taste of it.

Cutting the beans in the right way also adds to the taste. In a soup or fried rice when the cooking time is less, beans should be cut into very small pieces. While in curry, stir-fries or flavored rice where it is cooked for a longer time it should be cut into long pieces. If you want the crunchy taste as in salad or pasta cut long pieces in an angular way, which will make it cook faster while the outer part remains crunchy.

 

And how do you cook the green beans? You can blanch, fry, saute, bake or cook it.

Here are some quick and easy ways to make your regular beans dish exotic and tasty.

1. Beans and potato sauteed with spices like chilly or pepper is a common dish. You can add coarsely ground roasted almonds or groundnuts with a little bit of crushed garlic and see the change of taste.
2. Paneer (Curdled milk) or tofu brings out a very different taste when cooked with beans. Stir fry the beans with salt, and powdered spices of your choice. When its almost cooked increase the flame to high and add finely crumbled paneer or tofu . Keep stirring till the it gets cooked and sauteed. This will taste awesome when served hot.
3. Stir fry beans in salt and pepper and then add few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of sugar. It brings a tangy taste and a lovely flavor.
4. Add sauteed beans to golden fried onion and mushrooms. This blend is awesome. You can add little crushed garlic or shredded ginger to add to the flavor as well.
5. Coat long cut beans with a spiced batter of cornflour or split chickpeas powder (Besan) and deep fry it. Serves as a crispy side dish.

You will find a lot of other ways to make beans interesting if you make your innovative mind stray wild!

I have just shown the path.