Surti Papdi nu shaak (Lablab bean subze)

Today, I will share with you the recipe for lablab bean subze (otherwise known as surti papdi nu shaak) in Gujarat. The UK is very well known for being a great place to come across foods from all over the world and even then, I have found it difficult to come across the lablab bean (surti papdi) as it is an extremely seasonal vegetable (mainly found in Indian winter time) and pretty rare to find, even in the Asian grocery stores.

When you do come across them in the shop, be careful as to how you select the beans. They generally come in pods that are a vivacious green and pods will be firm and of a velvety texture if they are of a good quality. You may also find that some stores in the UK will sell only the already shelled beans without the pods (to make your life easier), although it is safe to say that these may be of varying quality. As soon as you get home from buying the lablab beans (surti papdi), please refrigerate them immediately and cook and eat them as soon as you can so that you gain the best taste experience from them.

So here goes with the recipe for Surti Papdi nu Shaak (lablab bean subze), starting with a picture of the final dish: 

(serves 2 to 3 people)

Ingredients:

1 big tbsp sunflower oil

1 pinch papad khar (this is an alkaline salt available in Asian grocery stores)

1 pinch asafoetida

0.75 tsp ajwain seeds

400g surti papdi/lablab beans, ideally half in their pods and half shelled (wash thoroughly in cold water at least 3 times and make sure all the water has been separated from the washed surti papdi

0.5 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp green chillies

1 heaped tsp salt

4 cloves of garlic (freshly peeled and grated)

0.5 tsp sugar

1 big tbsp chopped coriander

Two-thirds mug full of warm water

Method:

1. Pour the oil into a medium-sized pressure cooker and let it heat up.

2. Add in the papad khar, the asafoetida and the ajwain seeds and temper the ajwain seeds until they start to turn a golden brown colour.

3. Add in the surti papdi/lablab beans and stir well.

4. Add in the rest of the ingredients, starting with the turmeric powder in the order stated above in the ingredients list and mix well until all the spices have been evenly spread around the surti papdi/lablab beans.

5. Once you add the water and have mixed in everything, close the pressure cooker and cook the surti papdi on a medium-to-high heat until the cooker sounds at least 2 whistles. 3 whistles would be fine too.

6. Turn off the heat and make sure that the pressure from the pressure cooker has been released before opening the cooker.

7. Serve the surti papdi nu shaak while it is hot with freshly squeezed lemon and coriander chutney.

(Recipe for coriander chutney: click here)

So there you have it; a delicious new recipe for you to try out and let me know how it was! Many thanks!

'Til next time ... enjoy!

Bon appetit! xx