Green Beans Gujerati Style (with variations)

Gujerati is an Indian cooking style, referred to as "dry frying". In other words, the beans are prepared in a skillet or wok in a stir frying method, using a seasoned oil, then seasoned to taste. This is a simple and fast way to prepare green beans, and works well with many other vegetables as well. It leaves the beans crisp, green and well flavored.

The only "exotic" ingredient in this recipe is the black (sometimes called brown) mustard seeds. They can be found at most supermarkets in the spice section, or at Chinese or Indian grocery stores. Health food stores also frequently stock them. You can replace them with a number of other spices (see variations below) or with yellow mustard seeds.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

• 1/2 pound green beans, washed, ends removed, cut into 1 inch segments

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Prepare green beans.

Heat oil and mustard seeds over medium heat in wok or skillet. When the oil is hot enough, the mustard seeds will start to pop, like popcorn.

When mustard seeds have stopped popping, add green beans. It is a good idea to have removed all excess water, to prevent splattering of oil. Don't panic, they will make a "crash" when they hit the hot oil.

Stir the beans in the wok rapidly, as in stir frying. They will turn bright green all over after about two-three minutes. Continue to stir until they are done to your liking, but I would stop at the point where they are "crisp-tender". If you cook them too long, they can scorch.

Add salt and sugar to beans, stir well for about another ten seconds, remove from heat.

You're done! Don't try to hold this for too long, as the beans will continue to cook. If fresh beans are new to you (after years of olive drab green beans from a can), these will be a revelations, as they were to my husband, who grew up with the British "boil everything until dead and then boil it some more" school of cooking!

Variations

You can vary this dish in different ways, as all you are basically doing is stir frying vegetables in a flavored oil. Mustard seeds impart a nutty, spicy flavor to the oil. But you can include other spices as well, or omit the mustard seeds and use other spices instead. Some of the things you might consider to flavor your oil with are:

• Garlic, chopped

• A few red pepper flakes

• Thyme, oregano or basil

• Onion, chopped

• Cumin seeds

• Onion seeds

You could make an Italian-flavored variant on this dish by flavoring your oil with garlic, oregano and basil, and then adding a few chunks of ripe tomato while you are stirring your beans around.

The salt and sugar can also be replaced or enhanced with other additives, such as:

• Lemon juice

• Soy sauce

• Wine

• Garam masala

• Dill weed

• Turmeric

• Curry powder

• Italian salad dressing

This cooking technique works well with a number of the firmer vegetables. I have used it successfully with Brussel's sprouts (cut into quarters), cauliflower, turnips, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, and winter squash (pumpkin). You can flavor each according to your tastes -- for instance, I find the winter squash is great with a light sprinkling of clove and cinnamon in addition to the salt and sugar!