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Maunika Gowardhan’s runner beans phali ki sabzi. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food styling: Aya Nishimura. Prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Food styling assistant: Laura Lawrence.

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Maunika Gowardhan’s runner beans phali ki sabzi. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food styling: Aya Nishimura. Prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Food styling assistant: Laura Lawrence.

Food

Sabzi and thoran: Maunika Gowardhan’s recipes for Indian-style runner beans

The distinct spices of their respective regions make these approaches to runner beans uniquely different, but equally flavourful

Maunika Gowardhan

Mon 6 Jul 2026 01.00 EDT

37 37

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I always look forward to runner bean season, and especially to cooking them in stir-fries with Indian spices. Today’s recipes are very different from each other, not least because they hail from two very different regions, namely Rajasthan and Kerala, respectively, both of which have their own distinct spices and flavours.

Beans phali ki sabzi (runner beans with ginger, spices and potatoes) (pictured top)

In summer, this sabzi is on rotation in my home. The sourness of dried mango powder and the kick of chilli work really well with the beans, while the addition of mustard oil lends a lovely, pungent flavour. Served with plain rice or chapatis and some yoghurt, this makes for a great midweek dinner.

Prep15 minCook15 minServes4

3 tbsp mustard oil, or vegetable oil

**1 pinch****asafoetida

1 tsp cumin seeds****5cm piece root ginger**, peeled and finely chopped

650grunnerbeans, trimmed, destringed and cut into roughly 2cm-long,bite-size pieces

250g****boiled potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

**½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp mango powder** (AKA amchoor)

Salt, to taste

1 pinch****white granulated sugar

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, to finish

Put the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat and, when it’s hot, add the asafoetida and cumin seeds. The moment they start to splutter, add the ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then stir in the beans, turn down the heat to low, cover and leave to cook for 10-12 minutes.

Add the boiled potatoes, chilli powder, turmeric and mango powder, stir to combine, then season with salt to taste and add a pinch of sugar. Cover again, and leave to fry for two to three minutes.

Take off the heat, garnish with the coriander and serve with plain rice or chapatis and plain yoghurt.

Runner bean thoran

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Maunika Gowardhan’s runner bean thoran.

A classic side dish from Kerala, thoran can be made with all kinds of vegetables. I’ve used vegetable oil, but if you have some coconut oil to hand, it will give much more flavour to the dish. Traditionally, this would be served with Keralan matta rice (or plain rice) and some dal.

Prep15 minCook30 minServes4

3 tbsp vegetable oil, or coconut oil, if you have some

**1½ tsp black mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 whole dried mild red chilli**, halved lengthways

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 green bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped (if you prefer less heat, remove and discard the pith and seeds first)

100g white onion, finely chopped

**10-12 fresh curry leaves

150g grated fresh coconut

650g runner beans**, trimmed, destringed and cut into roughly 2cm-long,bite-sized pieces**1 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 heaped tsp ground coriander****Salt**, to taste

1 pinch white granulated sugar******½ lemon

About 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander**, to garnish

Put the oil in a large, nonstick saucepan on a medium flame, add the mustard seeds and, when they start to splutter, stir in the cumin seeds and dried red chilli, and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the garlic and green chilli, stir-fry for 20 seconds, then stir in the onion and curry leaves, and saute for five minutes.

Add the grated coconut, stir-fry for three to four minutes, until it softens a little, then add the beans, turmeric powder, chilli powder and ground coriander, and season with salt and a small pinch of sugar to taste. Stir again to combine, then cover, turn down the heat to low and leave to cook for 12-14 minutes. Stir again, cover and cook for a final two to three minutes. Take off the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice and garnish with coriander, and serve.

Maunika Gowardhan is a cook and food writer. Her most recent book, Curry: Recipes from Indian Home Kitchens, is published by Quadrille at £26. To order a copy for £23.40, go to guardianbookshop.com

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Comments (37)

Guardian Pick

Serendipity. We always grow too many runner beans (expecting a couple of plants to fail - they don’t), and so I’ve been looking around for creative ways to use them. Fuchsia Dunlop offers a great Chinese option, now these have me thinking about sub-continental versions, the article saved for later already, though I’ll work from the spirit rather than the letter of both. The Kerelan one is particularly appealing.

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SergeantPilko 8 hours ago