I was kinda bored of the usually south-Indian food we were consuming while at home. So, I thought I should boldly try cooking other cuisines too. Mexican, it was decided. To start with, I thought I should make some Nachos. Well, of course, with Salsa to go with it. But how do I make just that little bit of Salsa for a dip? So, I decided to come up with a main course that probably would need Salsa. I opened my refridgerater and figured that I hadn't used French Beans in a while. That was it, Beans in Salsa.
Ingredients:
Serves Two
500 gms French beans - chopped evenly to approximately one inch long
For Salsa:
5-6 small sized Tomatoes
1/4 large Onion - finely chopped
3 large Garlic Cloves
5-6 Jalapeno Peppers - finely chooped
1 cup Cilantro - finely chopped
1 cup Tomato puree
1 tsp Cumin Powder
Olive Oil
Salt
Water
Method:
First, it is best the Salsa is made. I used the food processor to make this and I haven't yet come across a native Mexican who probably knows to make it without one. So, probably it is indeed one of the major ingredients to get this done.
In a sauce pan blanch the tomatoes. Drain the water and let the tomatoes dry for a while. Do not discard the water. Now in a pan, add about 1 tsp of Olive Oil, saute the onions until they turn transparent. Add garlic, jalepeno peppers, and cumin powder. Toss briefly until the oil separates. Take care not to burn it. Keep this aside and let it dry too. Peel the skin off the tomatoes. Remove the seeds if you wish to make a finer paste: but I just let them be. Now once the onion-mixture have cooled a bit, add all of them (the mixture and the tomatoes) into the Food Processer along with Cilantro, salt to taste and tomato puree. Grind them all to a coarse paste. If it is too thick, add the water that was kept aside earlier, after blanching the tomatoes. Transfer it to a bowl and Salsa is ready.
It is best had after refridgerating for at least two hours, at it lets the ingredients settle better.
If you want to store it for a longer time, add a little bit of Cider Vinegar to it, bottle it and refridgerate.
Now come to the part of making the French Bean Dish. In a saucepan, add the chopped french beans and fill it with enough water to cover the beans. I used the water that was left over after blanching the tomatoes. This helps to infuse the taste of tomatoes into the beans. Add little salt and let it boil until you get the aroma of the beans being cooked. Once done, drain the excess the water and keep aside.
In a larger pan, add 1 tsp of Olive Oil. Once the oil is hot enough, lower the flame and add about 2 cups of Salsa into it and saute briefly. I wanted a little bit of gravy, but if you wish to have it in a semi-gravy form, you could about half the amount (1cup) of Salsa. Now add the Beans into the pan and saute for about a minute just to let them mingle(!). Add salt to taste and serve hot.
Note: This dish is best had with Pita Breads or Rice. I chose to go with Rice. Since my husband craved for some coconut rice, I made them with Coconut Rice. Although, traditionally coconut rice is had with something more hot/ spicier like a simple hot potato curry, I chose to try something new and it didn't trun out to be a bad idea, as it left both hubby and baby asking for a repeat.
