Fava Beans Fry Recipe | Broad Beans Fry | Bakla Bhaji

Fava beans, this shell bean has a unique flavour, meaty and slightly herbaceous. Fava beans are succulent and sweet while young, becoming floury and more strongly flavoured as they age. This with edible pod should be bright green and firm, bend one and it should snap cleanly in half. Older beans which will be dull and limp, are more likely to be tough/ dough.

Fava beans are rich in isoflavones – plant hormones with heart protective and anti-cancer properties. It is also considered as one of the oldest domesticated food legumes.

As a kid I never had this beans, due to lack of its availability in our place, however since I moved to Delhi, I have seen this in the vegetable market but never made it. Recently I was at my friend’s place for lunch where I got to taste it and I really liked it.

Though the one which I had was cooked with potato and the one which I made is with a little twist, which is similar to chilli potatoes. Sharing my version of fava beans fry.

Ingredients:

• 250 grams. Fava beans
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 4-5 dried red chillies
• 2 tsp. Cumin seed
• 1 tsp. Mustard seed
• ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. desiccated coconut
• 2 strings of curry leaves
• 2 tbsp. Mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Unstring the fibres and make sure you open each and every pod to check whether they have any warms and wash the beans thoroughly.
2. Boil the beans in a vessel and bring it to boil and add salt once it starts boiling.
3. Boil it for 10- 12 minutes, turn off the heat and strain out the water. Keep aside.
4. Heat a pan and add 3 dried red chillies, 1 tsp. cumin seeds, curry leaves, and the garlic cloves. Stir it for 2 minutes.
5. Transfer the mixture into a blender and make into a coarse powder and keep aside.
6. Heat oil into a pan,  add mustard seeds,  2 dried red chillies, 1 tsp. Cumin seed and let it crackle.
7. Add the boiled beans and the turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add the prepared seasoning powder and mix well. At this stage adjust the seasoning if required.
9. Add the desiccated coconut, mix well and turn off the heat.
10. Serve hot with Roti or Paratha.