Yardlong beans curry / Paithangai kari

I do not remember eating long beans at my home when I was a kid. I am not sure if it was not made or if it was I who didn't eat. I was a picky eater (back then). But I do remember eating from our friend Denny's lunch box in college whenever she brings this curry. Her mom is a great cook and whenever she prepares this curry and Sundal kulambu, Denny would have to swap her lunch with ours. We all used to finish hers in a wink. Those are good old memories. As soon as I saw the recipe for the long beans at her blog, I bought some on my grocery shopping and immediately tried it. I have tried this curry for a couple of times now and loved it every time. It is a perfect and tasty combo for rice as well as roti.

Ingredients:
Yard long beans / Payathangai - 1/2 kg - 1 lb - cut into 1/2" pieces
Onions - chopped - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves -  a few
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Make a paste:
Grated coconut - fresh/frozen - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1 - cubed
Garlic - 2 cloves
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp (I reduced this by 1/4 tsp, since I used lesser coconut)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Grind the ingredients under 'Make a Paste' to a smooth paste adding little or no water. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Now add the beans and fry until it is soft and cooked, about 7-10 mins. Add salt, ground paste and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Remove the lid and cook uncovered for another 5 mins until the raw smell disappears and the desired thickness is achieved. 
Tip: I usually cut and freeze vegetables which has shorter life. In this case, I washed the beans in running water and left it to air dry for 30 mins. I then chopped it into 1/2" pieces and placed it in a ziploc bag and stored in the freezer. Green beans, bottle gourd, winter melon and few other vegetables can also be stored in this way in a ziploc bag or freezer safe box.

I am sending this healthy curry to Bookmarked recipes - Every Tuesday event by Aipi and Priya.