Goan avre bendi (butter bean curry)

Spiced butter bean curry with kashmiri chilli, coconut and curry leaves: A staple for Hindu Goan families, this creamy butter (lima) bean curry is simple to cook especially with tinned beans. This is perfect with rice and chapatti.

Goan avre bendi (butter bean curry). Credit: Quadrille / Haarala Hamilton

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
• 8–10 curry leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins butter (lima) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 300 ml (10 fl oz/1¼ cups) water
• 1 heaped tsp tamarind paste
• chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, to finish
• salt

Coconut and chilli paste

• 2 dried kashmiri chillies, deseeded
• 200 ml (7 fl oz/scant 1 cup) warm water
• 150 g (5½ oz) freshly grated coconut

Soaking time: 20 minutes

Instructions

1. First, make the coconut and chilli paste. Soak the chillies in the water for 20 minutes, then drain and transfer to a food processor with 100 ml (3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup) of the soaking liquid and the coconut. Blend to a fine paste and then set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat, then add the curry leaves and as they begin to splutter, add the garlic. Fry for 30 seconds, then add the coconut paste. Stir well and fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add the butter beans and chilli powder and fry for 2 minutes, then add the sugar and water and season with salt. Mix well, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 12–15 minutes until soft, stirring halfway through cooking.
4. Finally, stir through the tamarind paste, remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle over some chopped coriander. Crush some of the butter beans with the back of a spoon to thicken the curry slightly before serving.

This is an edited extract from Curry by Maunika Gowardhan (Quadrille, HB$55). Photography by Haarala Hamilton

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.