Indian bean, also known as Val bean, papdi bean, or Valore bean, refers to a kind of vegetable grown in India which belongs to Dolichos genus. Among several types of beans grown in India, like cluster bean, yard long bean, soybean, royal burgundy bean etc., Val bean is one of the most popular bean types used in Indian cuisine to prepare several dishes and salads. These beans are generally used in several dishes as fried beans or baked beans. A few popular bean based dishes of Indian cuisine consist of bean salad, bean soup, bean curry, and bean pasta.
Uses of Indian Beans
The whole plant of Indian beans is edible. The various uses of this Indian bean plant have been explained hereunder:
Note- The dried seeds of this bean plant should not be consumed.
Indian Bean Recipe- Ingredients Used and Preparation Overview
Though Indian bean is basically used as an ingredient in soups, stews and salads; however it can also be used along with several other ingredients to prepare a vegetable dish with bean as a primary ingredient. This dish is popularly known as Val bean masala.
The ingredients required for preparing Indian bean masala consist of salt, oil, crushed garlic, mustard seeds, onion, green chillies, red chillies, grated coconut, coriander leaves, curry leaves, and val beans.
In order to prepare Val bean masala, the beans are first cooked with some salt and water in cooker. Thereafter, they are drained and kept aside for some time. Mustard seeds, garlic, curry leaves, and red chillies are sautéed in a frying pan with some oil, followed by adding onions and green chillies. Thereafter, boiled beans are added to the frying pan, and the dish is cooked for a few minutes, before garnishing it with chopped coriander and coconut.
A Couple of Popular Val Bean Recipes