Carotenoid + Flavanoid-Rich Green Beans Foogath Recipe

Ingredients:

• 500 grams French beans (haricot verts) or green beans, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• ¾ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, crushed
• 2 pcs green chilies, finely chopped
• 6-8 pcs curry leaves, washed and dried on paper towels
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup/sachet basmati rice

 Instructions:

1. Boil the sachet of basmati rice as per the instructions on the packet. If you are using loose rice, add 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat and cover the lid.
3. Let the rice simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit in the pot for minimum 10 minutes with the lid remaining on the pot. Then remove the lid and set aside.
5. Heat the coconut oil in a shallow pan and add the mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, add the curry leaves and green chilies, and sauté a little.
6. Add the onion and fry till it turns soft.
7. Add the green beans, salt to taste and cook till they are done.
8. Add sunflower seeds and cook for another minute.
9. Serve hot with a side of rice and enjoy!

Comments: Green beans are among the few beans that are not gassy or Vata aggravating. Green beans contain a wide variety of carotenoids (including lutein, beta-carotene, violaxanthin, and neoxanthin) and flavonoids (including quercetin, kaemferol, catechins, epicatechins, and procyanidins) that have all been shown to have health-supportive antioxidant properties. 

Because of their rich green color, we don’t always think about green beans as providing us with important amounts of colorful pigments like carotenoids. In some cases, the presence of these carotenoids in green beans is comparable to their presence in other carotenoid-rich vegetables like carrots and tomatoes. The only reason we don’t see these carotenoids is because of the concentrated chlorophyll content of green beans and the amazing shades of green that it provides.