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    Home » By Category » Appetizers & Snacks

    Published: Jul 18, 2014 · Modified: Oct 2, 2020 by Usha Rao

    Sauteed Indian Beans ~ Sauteed Valor Lilva

    For the second day of low carb recipes I have sautéed Indian Beans. Indian beans ~ valor lilva ~ chikkudu ginjalu are low in carbs and rich in fiber. It has about 13 - 15% of protein per serving, 2.5 serving per packet based on the nutritional information on the back of the beans packet. I usually make it for dinner when we want to eat something light. To make it a balanced meal, I finish off the meal with a glass of buttermilk or bowl of yogurt or some raita.

    Sauteed Valor Lilva.

    This can be served for breakfast, as a tea time snack or for dinner. I can eat it any time of the day. In fact I made these sautéed beans again yesterday to take more pictures. I made it for breakfast and ate it for lunch too. I was craving for some dessert and ate an apple after lunch. The meal was quite filling and I was really stuffed and thought of skipping dinner but did not. I will post my dinner recipe tomorrow. I enjoyed sauteed beans for both breakfast and lunch but did not take any pictures. 🙁

    Sauteed Chikkudu Ginjalu.

    I used frozen beans here. Beans are cooked until tender and then sautéed with some onion, garlic and green chilies. Chili powder can also be used to season the beans but for the fresh or frozen Indian beans, green chilies taste a lot better. Although green chilies can be added when sautéing the beans, I prefer seasoning the beans with green chilies and salt when it is almost cooked and then cooking it until tender.

    Cooking Time: 12 - 25 minutes
    Servings: 1 ½

    Ingredients:

    • 1 packet (12 oz. / 340 grams) frozen Indian Beans ~ Valor Lilva ~ Chikkudu Ginjalu (available in Indian stores)
    • 6 – 10 Green Chilies (adjust to taste)
    • ¾ - 1 tsp. Salt (Adjust to taste)
    • 2 Green Onion or Scallions chopped (opt.)
    • 1 ½ - 2 tbsp. Oil (I used 2 tbsp.)
    • ¼ tsp. Mustard Seeds (opt.)
    • ¼ - ½ tsp. Cumin Seeds ~ Jeera
    • 4-6 Curry Leaves
    • 1 small Onion sliced
    • 5-6 Garlic Cloves crushed or approx. 1 tbsp. crushed Garlic
    • ⅛ – ¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder
    • Cilantro for garnish
    • Chopped Onion for garnish (opt.)
    • Lime Juice (opt.)

    Preparation:

    1. In a saucepan cook frozen beans with some water for about 5 minutes. When the beans are completely thawed, discard the water, wash and cook the beans with some water. When the beans are almost tender, about 90-95% cooked, discard the water leaving about ¼ cup of water. Or just drain all the water and pour ¼ cup water and put it back on the stove.
    2. Add chopped green chilies, salt and 1 chopped green onion. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes are until the beans are tender. Do not overcook the beans. This step is optional. If skipping this step, in step 1 add some salt to water and cook the beans until tender. Once the beans are 100% tender, then drain the water.
    3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and when the seeds splutter, add curry leaves and onion. If you skipped step 2, add green chilies at this point.
    4. When onions are translucent add garlic, remaining chopped green onion and sauté for few seconds. Add turmeric and mix well.
    5. Add cooked beans and sauté for 5 – 10 minutes until beans are well coated with the tempering and sautéed. Taste and adjust salt.
    6. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot. Sautéed beans can be served with some chopped onions and some lime juice.

    Suggestions:

    • Green chilies can be chopped or ground to paste. In step 2, instead of chopped chilies, green chili paste can also be used. When I made it couple of days ago, I used chili paste.
    • Before sautéing the beans, taste the beans. If you need more heat or spice and add some chilies to the tempering, along with onions.
    • I used 2 green onions but more can be used. Although I listed green onions as optional, it enhances the taste.
    • Frozen black eyed peas or fresh green garbanzo beans can be substituted with Indian beans and here is the sauteed fresh green garbanzo beans I posted sometime ago.

    This day in 2008: Mango Pie
    This day in 2012: Chikkudu Annam ~ Valor Lilva (Indian Beans) Rice

    Blogging Marathon: Checkout what my fellow bloggers are doing this week on blogging marathon page.

    Events: This is my entry for Radhika's My Legume Love Affair # 73, an event started by Susan currently organized by Lisa.

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    1. Angela says

      June 17, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      This looks very good and easy and I am going to try it. Can someone tell me about how long I need to cook the lilva beans with water to make them tender?

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        June 19, 2017 at 9:14 am

        Angela, sorry for the late reply. I was traveling and didn't check the blog. Cook frozen lilva for 10- 20 minutes. It is usually done in 15 minutes. But the cooking time might vary depending on the brand and the size of the beans. Hope this help.

        Reply
        • Angela says

          June 27, 2017 at 2:57 pm

          Great, thank you! I can't wait to try them!

          Reply
    2. Harini says

      July 24, 2014 at 10:21 pm

      Very flavorful and healthy one there!

      Reply
    3. Nisha Sundar says

      July 22, 2014 at 9:52 am

      Thats a lovely dish Usha. Simple and flavourful. Bookmarked.

      Reply
    4. Pavani says

      July 22, 2014 at 4:19 am

      What a simple and flavorful dish. I always have a bag of frozen lilva in the freezer. Will try this dish soon.

      Reply
    5. Denny says

      July 21, 2014 at 7:25 pm

      I could easily have this as a meal...love your beautiful clicks.

      Reply
    6. priya srinivasan says

      July 20, 2014 at 7:28 am

      As valli said if it is an year before, I would have thought eating this as a meal is fashion but now me myself practising it I know how filling it is with that bowl of raita or a glass of buttermilk. Lovely clicks !!

      Reply
    7. Priya suresh says

      July 18, 2014 at 7:02 pm

      I want that plate, such a nutritious meal.. Its very hard to find lilva beans here, if i get them sure will make this dish.

      Reply
    8. Varada says

      July 18, 2014 at 10:08 am

      Very interesting. This would make a great base on a misal variation, sprinkled with diced onion, tomatoes and some sev.

      Reply
    9. Srivalli says

      July 18, 2014 at 8:22 am

      That's an interesting meal Usha..though in a normal state I might think it's weird to think this a meal, I know better now..your pictures are so beautiful. Love your blurred effect on the background. I was planning to click with the buttermilk which really makes your meal complete. Interesting to note you Chikkudu Annam couple of years back..:)

      Reply

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    Hi, I am Usha! Welcome to my space. I am the content creator and photographer here. I love cooking and all the recipes on the site are tried and tested in my kitchen.

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