Crispy Green Bean and Potato Sabzi

Updated May 29, 2024

Crispy Green Bean and Potato Sabzi
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(800)
Comments
Read comments

Indian cooking is filled with one-pan sabzis that come together fast and deliver big, complex flavor. This variation on a potato and green bean sabzi has a twist: almond butter, which gives the vegetables a nutty, almost tempura-like coating, made fragrant with warm spices, ginger and garlic. The green bean and potato combination makes for a nice contrast of textures, but you can easily make swaps: potatoes for sweet potatoes, green beans for broccoli. Chaat masala — a salty, tart and delightfully funky spice blend — is widely available in South Asian grocery stores or online and is well worth having in your pantry to give sabzis like this one some extra sparkle.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 main-dish or 4 side-dish servings
  • 1tablespoon neutral oil or olive oil
  • 1medium russet potato, diced into ½-inch pieces
  • ½teaspoon coarse kosher salt (such as Morton)
  • 8ounces green beans, trimmed and halved 
  • ½tablespoon ground coriander
  • ½tablespoon ground cumin 
  • ¼teaspoon ground black pepper 
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • 1(½-inch) piece ginger, minced
  • tablespoons unsweetened almond butter 
  • Lime juice, to taste 
  • Chaat masala (optional), for garnish
  • Rice or roti (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large (lidded) nonstick skillet over high heat, warm the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the potato and half the salt and let cook, undisturbed, until the cubes develop a golden-brown crust on the bottoms, 3 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Lower the heat to medium, give the potatoes a toss and add the green beans, the remaining salt and ¼ cup of water. Cover and let cook for about 3 more minutes, until the beans are starting to soften but still a little crunchy, and the potatoes have a little firmness but can be pierced with a fork.

  3. Step 3

    Add the coriander, cumin, pepper, garlic and ginger. Toss to coat the potatoes and green beans, then let cook until you can smell the strong fragrance of the spices, ginger and garlic, about another minute.

  4. Step 4

    Turn the heat down to low, stir in the almond butter, and as it melts, toss it with the vegetables to coat. Cook the sabzi for another minute or two, just to let the almond butter dry out a little and form a crust on the vegetables.

  5. Step 5

    Remove the pan from heat, and sprinkle the top with lime juice and a light dusting of chaat masala, if using. Serve by itself, or with rice or roti alongside.

Ratings

4 out of 5
800 user ratings
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Comments

I always parboil potatoes before pan-cooking them so they’re not underdone. Just make sure you don’t boil the cut potatoes too long, they’ll absorb the water and then less absorb the lovely flavors in your sabzi. I cut them to the size I plan to serve them in & boil the water before adding them. For smaller cubes 5-7 minutes should be more than enough.

I usually hit spuds for 3-4 minutes in the microwave before frying. It doesn’t really soften them, but gets them hot so they have a head start before going into the skillet.

Lovely dish, even though I slightly undercooked the potatoes. Next time, I’d experiment with a different variety of potato. The nut butter brings it all together. Worked well with roti.

Can this be made a day in advance and reheated? Anyone try that?

I made this last night. Incredibly tasty, but textually a little bland. Maybe the addition of sliced almonds will help next time.

This was very delicious. I sauteed some onion first, removed it then started with potatoes which I microwaved first for 3 minutes. Followed recipe, taking longer to steam green beans to al dente. Added veggie broth instead of water and needed more to get to right texture. Used spices and tijan. Added sauteed onions when added mixed nut butter. Wonderful flavor when finished.

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