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Feb

19

Canary Beans with Fenugreek Leaves

February 19, 2008 |

… stewed in coconut milk.

When Latha and Lakshmi, the awesome mother-daughter duo at The Yum Blog started the Arusuvai Friendship chain for food bloggers in India, they explained:

“It is about sending along a surprise ingredient as a gift to your friends for them to prepare something tasty with it, share the recipe, and pass on other surprise ingredients to more people. Arusuvai means six tastes (aru=six, suvai=taste) in Tamizh and is used to refer to a tasty preparation with six tastes - inippu/ thithippu (sweet), orappu/ karam (hot), kassappu (bitter) , pulippu (sour), uppu(salt), tuvarpu (tastes that one gets in raw leaves).”

Latha of Masala Magic started the chain here in the U.S. She’s been a pal for years, long before our food blogging days. We’re big fans of her (and her mom’s) recipes. We’d lost touch for a while, and discovered each other again through our blogs, so it’s only apt that our link to this chain is through her.

She sent us a packet of beautiful, fragrant vangi bhaath (eggplant rice) powder.

She has posted the recipe for vangi bhaath and the spice powder on her old site, and we are reproducing it here.

Latha’s Vangi Bhaath powder

1 cup Channa Dal
3/4 cup Urad dal
3/4 cup Whole Dhaniya (coriander) seeds
1 cup Dry Red chillies (I use a mix of Byadgi and Guntur chillies. Byadgi give it the color and the Guntur variety give it the spice. If unavailable you can use the regular variety or a mix of regular and Kashmiri mirch).
1 tbsp Cinnamon stick (or 3 big sticks)
1 tsp Cloves
a few sprigs curry leaves
1/2 cup Dry Copra (or dessicated coconut - optional)
salt to taste

On a low to medium flame, dry roast the two dals separately until light golden brown or until a nice aroma fills the air. Keep aside. Dry roast the remaining ingredients one at a time. Cool and powder together into a fine powder in a mixie. Store in an airtight jar. This powder can be used to make many dishes. I usually most always sprinkle some on all my dry curries. It adds zest and flavor to my curries.

It is, we discovered, a great all-purpose spice mix. If you’re not a big fan of sambar podi (we are not), this is a perfect substitute in recipes that call for it in curries, stews and dry veggie dishes.

Thank you, dear Latha. From us, there are three Arusuvai Friendship packages in the mail for

Shilpa @ Aayi’s Recipes
Marta @ An Italian in the US
and
Mythili @ Vindu.

When we read about frijoles canarios (canary beans) on Linda’s blog, we were intrigued.

“They are rich and buttery, unlike any bean I’ve ever tasted”, she said. We kept our eyes open the next time we visited our co-op, and they were right there in the regular aisle under the label “Mayocoba Beans”. We also found another bean we’d never had hopes of finding in the U.S. in the bin next to it. More about that later.

Canary / Mayocoba Beans / Frijoles Canarios

The Mayocoba, or Canary Bean, was named after a small village in Mexico where this new version of an old Incan food product was re-invented. They have a unique taste and it is said that they will not give the consumer the usual digestive reaction that other beans can give. Mayocoba Beans are yellow and about the size of a pinto bean. Source

They are absolutely silken and delicious, with no bitter aftertaste. Use them in any recipe instead of black-eyed peas, pinto beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans or hyacinth beans. A great find. Thank you, dear Linda.

With the canary beans and vangi bhaath powder, we set out to recreate the harmony of aru suvai (the six tastes) - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent - by stewing the beans with fenugreek leaves in coconut milk infused with spices. It was creamy and delicious.

Any greens or combo of greens would work for this recipe. We added a touch of jaggery to balance out the bitterness of the fenugreek. Any non-pungent spice mix like sambar podi or goda masala can be used in lieu of vangi bhaath powder.

To cut down some of the fat from the coconut milk, we pureed some of the beans and added it to thicken the stew. If you wish to completely eliminate the coconut milk, and increase the protein content, roast

3 tbsps each chana dal and urad dal
and blend the dals to a fine powder. Add it towards the end with some water or cooked bean liquid.

Canary Beans with Greens

Soak 3/4 cup canary beans overnight.

Cook in a pressure cooker in salted water for 1 whistle, or on the stove top until it can be easily crushed between the fingers.

Drain the liquid (save it) and take out 1/3 cup of cooked beans and mash them. Keep it aside.

Heat 2 tsps oil and add
1 tsp each mustard and cumin seeds

When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add
2 finely chopped garlic gloves
1/2 cup chopped red onion
6 torn curry leaves

Fry until the onion is golden, then add
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne (chilli) powder and
2 tbsps vangi bhath powder
**or any spice mix of choice (adjust quantity according to heat level)

Fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add
6 oz frozen greens thawed (we used fenugreek)
**or about 1 packed cup fresh greens blanched in hot water for 30 seconds, dunked in cold water, squeezed dry and chopped.
along with

the cooked and drained beans
salt to taste,
the mashed beans
1 cup light coconut milk (or 1/3 cup coconut milk powder)
1 tsp powdered jaggery (or maple syrup/sugar)

Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 5 minutes.

Check seasonings.

Serve hot with bread, rice or rotis.

This beany green heart-healthy stew goes to Michelle @ The Accidental Scientist. She’s hosting this month’s Heart of the Matter event, where the theme is Stews and Casseroles.

- Bee and Jai

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27 Comments so far

  1. Latha on February 19, 2008 5:23 pm

    I’m flattered guys! The VB powder could’nt look any better! the picture of the powder up close is amazing! And what a wonderful combination - beans with methi! i usually make plain methi curry and add VB powder to it but i’m sure adding the beans or any lentils add flavor to it!

  2. musy on February 19, 2008 6:31 pm

    Beans do really taste well with coconut milk! Love the choice of greens too. Absolutely adorable recipe :love:

  3. enjay on February 19, 2008 6:39 pm

    Great mix of flavors..beans, methi, coconut milk and roasted daal! Will have to try this one. Especially now that you mentioned the lack of digestive reaction. :)

  4. Linda on February 19, 2008 6:40 pm

    Oh, what a fabulous way to use those mellow canary beans –the perfect foil for methi. Very inspired combo! I’m so glad you found them. BTW I love the shot of yellow beans on blue. You’ve reminded me to remember my color theory class when taking pics ;)

    Somehow I must have missed dear Latha’s vangi bhaath masala. It sounds (and looks) fabulous! I made Vineela’s once and that’s about run out.

  5. shriya on February 19, 2008 7:02 pm

    Hi jai and bee,
    You have such an wonderful blog. I simply love the template. Pictures are mind blowing , awesome photography.Your blog is really inspiring to me i just wanted to say what a great job you guys have done to the site. I am so glad I came across your site and I am sure to comeback more often. :-)

    thank you for your kind words, dear shriya.

  6. sagari on February 19, 2008 7:53 pm

    I am always unsuccessfull making vangibath powder ,this time I will try your recipe

  7. kalva on February 19, 2008 8:20 pm

    wow great one Jai and Bee.. love methi…

  8. Coffee on February 19, 2008 9:09 pm

    Nice combo!! I am for anything with methi. :)

  9. Rupa on February 19, 2008 9:50 pm

    yum ! this looks delicious !

  10. jnirmala on February 19, 2008 11:13 pm

    Bee is this otherwise called butter beans ?

    butter beans are different.

  11. Siri on February 19, 2008 11:45 pm

    I never heard of Canary Beans.. :bruised: but they look like Lima Beans… :D interesting combo of beans n methi.. though I am not a big fan of methi… :hammer:

    Siri :angel:

  12. Kaykat on February 19, 2008 11:50 pm

    Yum! This looks delicious! Love those canary beans - they make a fabulous peruvian stew, I’ll remember to ping you when I post about that.

    -K

  13. Meeta on February 20, 2008 2:18 am

    Simply awesome. I recently made black eye kidney beans with kale - so I can really imagine the idea behind this recipe. I really like the spices you’ve used here - however never ever heard of vangi bhath powder before. Can I substitute with Garam Masala?

    garam masala may be too strong. 1/2 tsp maybe. you can use a combo of chilli powder, coriander powder and toasted and powdered chana dal.

  14. Asha on February 20, 2008 5:36 am

    Beautiful color contrast with white and green Bee. Looks delicious and full of nutrients. Great veggie dish. I think Canary beans are added to the pack of 16 beans too!:)

  15. Happy Cook on February 20, 2008 5:50 am

    I have never cooked with these beans.
    They do looks delicious

  16. Gretchen Noelle on February 20, 2008 6:23 am

    Hey! Those are the Peruvian Yellow bean used here more frequently than any other bean! When cook with little water, they burst open and turn into a creamy bean dish. So glad you found them there and used them. They are delicious!!!

  17. sandhya on February 20, 2008 9:48 am

    Never heard of these beans before. Looks yummy. Your pic’s are beautiful.

  18. shilpa on February 20, 2008 10:05 am

    Thats such a beautiful dish Bee. Never used those beans, will have to try sometime. I make VB powder frequently, but didn’t think of using it in anything other than VB. Its a great idea. Thanks for the beautiful package Bee. I simply love it.

  19. Cham on February 20, 2008 1:30 pm

    Very different combination with Vangi Bhaath powder. Methi & bean combo should taste great.

  20. Pooja on February 20, 2008 2:47 pm

    beans + methi + Onion + garlic = I am all flatten by this dish Bee :cool:
    Thanks for sharing such a healthy dish.

  21. Dhivya on February 20, 2008 4:51 pm

    I have seen these beans in the Whole Foods beans aisle…I have been exploring all types which we get here and this one am sure is going to be a keeper..will try this first before wandering off on my own! :)

  22. raaga on February 21, 2008 5:51 am

    I am also discovering using methi with different items :-) this is a great idea.

  23. chemcookit on February 21, 2008 2:53 pm

    Thanks a lot!!!!! I just received the packet today… I’m so happy!!! I’m looking forward to use the surprise ingredient you sent me, and I’m already thinking about what I can send to other fellow food bloggers. :)

  24. Bell Pepper Rice « Masala Magic on February 21, 2008 5:09 pm

    […] one out! If you would rather see the powder with the picture then check out Jai and Bee’s post on this! For the Seasoning: 2 tbsp Oil 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tsp Urad Dal 1 tsp Channa Dal 1 tbsp […]

  25. Ann on February 27, 2008 8:17 am

    What a wonderfully informative post! And your stew looks amazing!

  26. Namratha on April 3, 2008 9:27 am

    I made this for lunch today, absolutely delicious. Thank you for the wonderful recipe and a tasty alternate use for vangibath powder :) Loved the beans too!

  27. canary bean on May 30, 2008 4:13 am

    […] […]

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