Easy and simple steam-cooked dry sabzi or curry recipe made with chopped French Beans.
After the festivities it is back to everyday food, simple and healthy. French Beans Foogath Recipe or Foogath, as it is called, is the Portuguese word for steam cooked. So do read on this easy healthy and vegan recipe that I am sharing. But to get all my posts do subscribe and join my newsletter. You will not miss a single post and I promise not to spam you.
Contents:
- French Beans and I
- Why and how to eat French Beans?
- Why Fugad?
- Ingredients for Steamed French Beans Vegetable
- Recipe Card
- Tips for a great Foogath
- Pin for later
French Beans and I
French beans and I had a disagreeable past even when Amma made it. I hated it and once I was managing mu own kitchen saw to it that I threw out the vegetable. I could never cook it the way it tasted good! Then once my maid made it and I loved it. In fact I buy the vegetable myself now and the girls get mad at me. 😀 Life comes to a full circle!
Why and how to eat French Beans?
French bean is a vegetable that can be served steamed, stir-fried as a vegetable or in fried rice and pulao, try adding some to a soup too. French beans add a lovely colour and texture to any dish. The bean you can eat whole especially when tender. The flavour is delicious and yes the seeds too can be eaten. It is only when the pods mature that you shell them like peas.
Why Fugad?
I buy French Beans every week and though there are variations like Traditional Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia Giaxni), or even Bora with Aloo|Waal with Potatoes|Chinese Long Beans with Potatoes. But we prefer this vegetable that is steam cooked and is also called Beans Fugad in Konkani. You need not stop at french beans to make Foogath try it with cabbage, cluster beans, ivy gourd.
French Beans Foogath Recipe tastes great with flatbread as well as steamed rice and dal. Serve it as an accompaniment for lunch or dinner it gets cooked in 20 minutes flat. The best part is anyone can make it from experts to novices.
Ingredients for Steamed French Beans Vegetable
- French Beans: Tender french beans called papdi in Goa beans elsewhere is best. You will have to snap off the tips and remove the string on the side. This is more important when your beans are older. These strings do not cook and are tough to eat.
- Onion: Onion is an optional ingredient generally I do not add it but use one onion finely chopped if you wish.
- Tempering: Ingredients for tempering are oil, mustard and hing, chillies. You can choose to use urid dal or chana dal only fry them till light golden brown before you add chillies. Add curry leaves if wish, today I have not added any.
- Coconut: Grated coconut fresh or frozen and add as much as you wish even ½ a cup for about quarter of beans tastes good.
- Salt: to taste.
Recipe Card:
French Beans Foogath ~ Everyday Goan Cuisine
Equipment
- Kadhai/wok
- Lid
- Ladles and spoons
Ingredients
- 250 Grams French Beans washed, stringed and chopped
- 1 medium Onion chopped, optional
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon rai/mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon hing/Asafoetida
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1 dry Kashmiri chilli broken2-3 pieces, optional
- 1 green chilli slit and chopped2-3 pieces
- 4-5 tablespoon Coconut freshly grated or frozen
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
- Heat the kadhai/wok add the oil.
- Lower the flame and splutter the mustard seeds, add the hing, curry leaves, chillies. Stir once.
- If using onions add them and stir fry till translucent.
- Add the French beans, salt, coconut. Mix well.
- Cover with a lid that is filled with water. Cook covered on low flame till the steam escapes from the sides of the lid.
- Switch off the gas and let the vegetable sit for 4-5 minutes.
- Serve hot with chapatti, and or rice and daal.
Notes
- In case your French beans are not tender add a tablespoon or 2 of hot water in the pan.
- Keep an eye on the French beans they should cook just right and not become brown or even crisp. In case you are not sure remove the cover and stir in between. Add water if needed.
Tips for a great Foogath:
- If your beans are tough, please remove the strings on the side of the beans. These do not cook and rob the pleasure of eating a good vegetable.
- The oil needed to make this vegetable is minimum.
- Keep an eye on the vegetable you are cooking they should cook just right and not become brown or even crisp. You can always remove the lid and stir in between. Add water if needed.
- You can add onions to the dish but on "Shivrak" or the day no-onions and garlic is consumed leave it out.
Pin for later:
Chef Mireille says
I have made foogath with cabbage before. Next time will definitely use green beans. I don't have the disagreeable relationship you have had with them. I have always loved them and often just eat them raw with a little olive oil, s&p. I am sure this foogath will be so good with this veggie which is loved by me
ArchanaPotdar says
😀
Mina Joshi says
This looks delicious. I love French beans so am excited to have a new recipe to try.
ArchanaPotdar says
😀 Thanks.
Preethicuisine says
One of my most favourite dish. I make it without onions . This is so simple and nutritious. Just need some rasam and rice to go with it.
ArchanaPotdar says
😀 thanks.
Linsy Patel says
This looks like cousin of thoran from south , I just love for this cabbage instead of beans. Yours look perfect
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Linsy.
Sujata Roy says
I always love your Goan recipes. This French beans foogath sounds super healthy, delicious and easy to make recipe. A perfect side dish for a busy day.
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Sujata.
Jayashree T.Rao says
I like to use french bean stir fry regularly in my cooking. I prepare as you have mentioned but its been sometime I made it. Now, you reminded me.
ArchanaPotdar says
😀
Priya Vj says
Khoop chaan ! Love to eat and cook veggies that are steamed and garnished with coconut. I love this simple yet flavorful curry you have made . This is how I generally cook carrots,chou chou and beans
ArchanaPotdar says
😀 this is the most common way of making veggies.
Lindsay Fuce says
This sounds good. I'm going to have to add this to the dinner rotation next week 🙂
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Lindsay.