Thursday, March 3, 2011

Guar -- Indian Green Beans -- At Eastern Bazaar

Go exotic without leaving your comfort zone by buying some unusual green beans at Eastern Bazaar.

Guar are also called "cluster beans."  They're thin green beans with tiny, tiny beans inside the pod.  Visually different from your regular beans, almost looks more like the green from a chive.

They're $3 a pound in the cooler at Eastern Bazaar in Laurel.  I had never seem them before, but a Googled a recipe on the spot and grabbed curry leaves to round that out.

Very easy to cook with some canned Muir Glen tomatoes and new potatoes.  Eastern Bazaar stands out among the Indian stores because it offers fresh produce.  I had actually stopped for curry leaves because I couldn't find them at the Grand Mart.  Eastern Bazaar often has eggplants, herbs and other items that stand out.

Try something exotic.  Try something authentic.  And it's green beans so it's not like I'm getting you to intestines or lungs.

If you want to try guar beans, check out the "Cluster Beans and Potato Bhaji" on Mamta's Kitchen.  Substitute a small can of chopped tomatoes for the two tomatoes.  And remember that a pound is about 500 grams, so it's about a quarter-pound of beans and half that much in potatoes.

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