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4.50 from 2 votes

Broad Bean Curry

This Broad Bean Curry is totally delicious, so good for a bunny chow
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: broad bean curry, indian curry recipes, vegetarian curry
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup broad beans soaked in water overnight
  • 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into fours
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp butter (optional)
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 star aniseed
  • 1 sprig curry leaf
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground fennel
  • 2 tbsp masala this contains chili powder, see note 4
  • 2 roma tomatoes skin removed and grated
  • 1/4 tsp tamarind
  • pinch of sugar
  • salt
  • fresh coriander
  • 1-2 cups water

Instructions

  • Soak beans overnight. Rinse and drain the excess water. Place the beans in a pot with 3 cups of water and boil on medium heat for 30-40 minutes or until soft and tender
  • Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pot on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds pop, add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and star aniseed. When fragrant, turn the heat to a low setting, add the curry leaf and onion. Fry until onion is golden brown
  • Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a minute
  • Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, fennel and masala. Fry for 2 minutes. Add a few drops of water if required
  • Add the potatoes and allow it to cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add a few drops of water to prevent scorching
  • Add the tomatoes. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add half cup of water and allow the potatoes to simmer until slightly tender. Add more water in between cooking time only if required
  • Mix the tamarind in 1/4 cup warm water and add it to the potatoes together with the beans. Add a pinch of sugar
  • Cook for 5 minutes and add 1 cup of water. Use your discretion in terms of how much water you require as this depends on how thick you would prefer the gravy.
  • Simmer on low heat until potatoes are fully cooked.
  • You can add a tablespoon of butter towards the end of cooking if you want to be indulgent
  • Add some fresh, chopped coriander and serve hot

Notes

  1. If you are living at high altitude you can boil your beans in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. The 40 minutes boiling time is for stovetop and will work for those cooking at sea level. 
  2. You can also boil your potatoes until slightly tender
  3. However if you boil your potatoes you will need to then cook the beans with the spices first and then add your potatoes to the curry. 
  4. If you are not familiar with the term masala it is similar to what some may refer to as a curry powder but not exactly the same. In SA we add chilli powder to our masala together with other spices and therefore chilli powder is not required for this recipe. However, if you do not live in SA and don't have masala please add chilli powder according to your taste. I would suggest starting with about 2 teaspoons