This tasty, tangy, spicy dish of green beans and potatoes will have you saying, “Beansaloo!”, it’s so good. Plus, I am going to drastically reduce the number of ingredients usually found in this dish while still capturing the essence of a traditional Aloo Beans recipe to make it super EASY to make!
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This simple, one pot recipe combines several of my favorite spices commonly found in Indian cooking.
The mix of spices really adds some amazing flavors to what, otherwise, may be considered a ‘bland’ dish of green beans and potatoes.
What Are Aloo Beans – Green Beans and Potatoes?
Aloo Beans is a simple Green Beans and Potatoes recipe that comes from Northern India.
It is a one-pot (or one pan), vegetarian ‘stir-fry’ using mainly dry ingredients.
Several different spices, combined with minced garlic, ginger, and chili peppers make this green beans and potatoes recipe more exciting than any one you’ve tried before…
At least, in my opinion!
Plus, since this dish is a one pot, ‘stir fry’ it is quick to cook, making it a great option for low-stress weeknight dinners.
And because I always strive to share easy seasonal recipes that use the fewest ingredients possible, I have modified this Aloo Beans recipe to be done without onions or tomatoes!
This makes preparing this dish it ultra-quick!
Ingredients I Used In This Aloo Beans (Easy Indian Recipe)
- Potatoes
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Green Beans (String beans)
The Potatoes and Green Beans form the foundation of any Aloo Beans Recipe.
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Allspice
You may see additional spices in other similar recipes online, but there is an important reason why I limited this dish to the 5 spices you see above…
…it’s because that’s all the spices I had!
- Red Chili Peppers (Bill likes it spicy!)
- Minced Garlic
- Garam Masala (Combination of spices used to make this is described below or click link to buy online)
- Pepper (not shown)
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Making The Garam Masala
Typically, the spices used in an Aloo Beans dish are combined to form a powder called Garam Masala.
Depending on which spices are used to make the Garam Masala, as well as the ratio, determines how the finished Aloo Beans will taste.
Since different versions of Garam Masala are possible and because certain Beans Aloo recipes utilize different ingredients, each Aloo Beans recipe you find online has its own signature taste!
Spices I Included In MY Garam Masala
Since I only had a limited number of spices available at the time of this recipe, I made due with what I had.
My Garam Masala recipe included:
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 tablespoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
And that’s it!
This may not be the most ‘traditional’ version, but it worked in a pinch (get it?) for this recipe.
You can Buy Garam Masala already-made online to save even more time when making Aloo Beans
You can certainly use my suggested spices (above) or even check out this more traditional Garam Masala recipe.
Recipe Equipment Needed
- High-Quality Skillet or Fry Pan
- Lid with Silicone Rim
- Spatula with Silicone End
- Chef’s Knife
- Potato Peeler (‘Y’-Peeler)
This recipe doesn’t require much cookware – it’s probably all recipe equipment you already have.
I would suggest a high-quality lid with a silicon rim for your sauté pan if you don’t have one.
A lid is great for retaining heat, and controlling the steam when you steam the green beans and potatoes.
One Pot (or Pan) Recipe Doesn’t Mean All Ingredients Get Cooked At Once!
One thing I always like to remind myself is this:
Just because I am making a one-pan recipe, it DOESN’T MEAN that all ingredients get cooked at the same time!
The main thing to remember when making a one pot dish like this Easy Aloo Beans recipe is to put the ingredients that take the longest to cook into the pan first.
Seems easy to remember, but I have been known to forget this from time to time!
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Tips & Substitutions
First off, many versions of Beans Aloo use fresh, sliced ginger, which I didn’t have.
You can use ground ginger like I did in your garam masala and still sauté fresh ginger along with garlic, onions and tomatoes (if you include them) in a separate pot.
Different Spices Can Be Used For Any Aloo Beans Recipe
There are several ‘signature’ spices that get used in most Aloo Beans recipes, namely the spices that are combined to make the Garam Masala.
In this recipe, I used Cumin, Ground Ginger, Cinnamon, Chili Powder and Allspice
However, other recipes include:
Coriander Seeds, Green Cardamoms and I’ve even seen mustard seeds being used in one online recipe!
Controlling The Spice Level
I admit, my Beans Aloo is quite spicy!
Mainly because I used chili powder and fresh red chili peppers – the fresh red chilies ramped up the heat!
But if you prefer to tone down the spice level, you can omit the red chili peppers.
Some versions of similar Aloo Beans’ recipes online even omit chili powder and opt, instead, to used red pepper flakes.
Red pepper flakes are a perfect substitute for the chili peppers and/or chili powder.
Controlling how much of the red pepper flakes you use helps ‘manage’ the level of spiciness in this recipe.
My Aloo Beans Recipe Was Made Without Tomatoes Or Onions
In trying to keep up with my theme of keeping my recipes easy and using the fewest ingredients possible, this Aloo Beans was made without onions or tomatoes.
Traditionally, chopped onions (and oftentimes, tomatoes) are used in Aloo Beans.
But the great thing about this easy Indian Recipe is that when making Beans Aloo – it’s up to YOU!
Feel free to follow my recipe, exactly, for its simplicity or check out another delicious Aloo Beans recipe I found online.
But remember, if you make my version, exactly, it’s quite spicy due to the combination of chili powder and fresh red chili peppers.
Now, onto the recipe…
Aloo Beans (EASY Indian Recipe)
2
servings10
minutes25
minutes230
kcalThis Aloo Beans recipe is easy and quick to prepare. It’s made without onions or tomatoes and only the essential spices. The Garam Masala is prepared from a simple combination of Cumin, Cinnamon, Chili Powder and Allspice. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is added at the end of the cooking process. The addition of lemon juice adds a brightness to the flavor profile of this dish, while the acidity helps tone down some of the spiciness. But the green beans and potatoes make up the foundation of this Aloo Beans dish.
Ingredients
10 oz Potatoes (cubed)
7 oz Green Beans (chopped)
1/2 tbsp Cumin
1/4 tbsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/4 tbsp Chili Powder
1/4 tbsp Ground All Spice
1/4 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
3 – 4 whole Red Chili Peppers (chopped/diced)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 Lemon (Fresh-Squeezed Lemon Juice)
Directions
- Start by preparing the vegetables: Peel and cube potatoes and chop green beans (cutting off the ends/stems in the process). Chop/dice red chili peppers.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of minced garlic to a pan and place over Medium Heat. Warm about 3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add ONLY the cubed potatoes to the hot pan first since the potatoes are the densest ingredient in Beans Aloo (and take the longest to cook). Place a good lid with silicone rim like this one on top of the pan to retain the heat and cook the potatoes more quickly.
- Gently stir the potatoes every few minutes as they cook – you are essentially cooking a stir-fry! Repeat this process for 10 minutes. You can adjust heat from Medium to Medium-High if you find the potatoes aren’t cooking quickly enough.
- Next, add in the chopped green beans and continue to stir-fry the potatoes and green beans mixture for another 5 minutes.
- At this point, I add about 1/8 cup of water to my pan and quickly place the lid back on top to seal in the steam, essentially steaming the green beans and potatoes for about 3 minutes (your time may vary).
- Prepare the Garam Masala while the potatoes and green beans continue to cook: I just combined 1/2 tablespoon cumin, 1/4 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/4 tablespoon chili powder, 1/4 tablespoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I call this the ‘poor man’s Garam Masala’ as I didn’t use coriander seeds, cardamoms or bay leaves, which are commonly included).
- Spread the Garam Masala, liberally, over the green beans and potatoes in your sauté pan.
- Cook for another 3 minutes over Medium Heat (or until cubed potatoes are lightly browned/soft).
- Lower the heat to Low-Medium and squeeze in fresh lemon juice from a fresh lemon and cook for 1 minute.
- Let rest for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped red chili peppers (IF you like your Aloo Beans spicy!)
- Process photos of all the preparation and cooking steps of this Aloo Beans (EASY Indian Recipe):Loading gallery media…
Notes
- Fresh ginger sliced and added to a pot of aromatics, such as garlic, onions, and mustard seeds cooked separately would add a nice depth of flavor to this recipe.
- Feel free to use red pepper flakes like these as a substitute for the fresh red chili peppers I used IF you want to control the spiciness of this recipe.
- You can follow my simple recipe for making garam masala, check out one of the links I provided in the write-up above for a more traditional Garam Masala recipe. or even Buy Garam Masala online.
- To keep this recipe simple, I made this Aloo Beans dish without tomatoes or onions, but if I were making it again I would add these two vegetables.
- *****Tired of buying all your own ingredients? Then, SKIP buying ingredients and get everything you need for making healthy meals at home delivered directly to your door from Clean Eatz!!*****
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What Spices Do You Use In Your Garam Masala?
I am curious to know what spices you include in your Garam Masala.
Please feel free to share what spices you include, as well as the ratio of the spices you use, down in the comments section below.
If you have a Garam Masala or similar Aloo Beans recipe on your website, please include a link back to your recipe with your comment!
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I promise never to spam you and you’ll only hear from me when I have a new recipe or post to share!
Here Are A Few Other One-Pot Recipes From SeasonalCookbook.com
While this was my second attempt at an Indian dish – my first was Chicken Divan With Curry – I have done a few other one-pot (or one pan) recipes on this website.
Here are a few you might like:
- One-Pot Sun Dried Tomato Orzo
- Fast Italian Frittata with Roasted Red Peppers (One Skillet Recipe)
- Easy Shrimp Mei Fun
Please check out the links above if you have time.
What Did You Think Of This Aloo Beans (EASY Indian Recipe)?
Please post a comment in the Comments Section Below and share with everyone what you thought of this recipe.
Cut me a little slack because this was my first attempt at a traditional Indian recipe so I hope I didn’t ‘butcher’ it too badly!
What did I get right? What did I get wrong?
Please post your comments and criticisms below…
Happy cooking!
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