Cluster beans recipe – A simple and easy side dish made with cluster beans, spices & herbs. Cluster beans are native to India and are grown in the warm and dry regions. These beans are most cooked to a curry or stir fried. Cluster beans are known by different names gavar, guar or guvar beans. In regional languages these are known as goruchikkudu, chavalikayi & guara. (Source:wiki).
These beans have a distinct flavor & taste which does not come close to any other veggie. Cluster beans are harder than the other kind of green beans varieties like french beans or broad beans. So these are mostly precooked and then added to the masala.
In this post I have shared my mom’s Andhra style goruchikkudu recipe. I have also shared few other ways we cook this veggie.
This recipe is on the spicier side and uses ginger garlic and garam masala. In Andhra cuisine we generally do not use ginger garlic and garam masala for the everyday vegetable dishes. But this recipe uses them so the bitter tones in the cluster beans are not felt.
This goruchikkudu curry is a favorite with us as it turns out delicious, extremely flavorful & slightly spicy. It goes well with plain rice & ghee. I insist not to miss adding some ghee while you serve this.
We also cook goruchikkudu with moong dal & sometimes with fresh coconut similar to the vepudu or poriyal.
Tips
- Always choose cluster beans that are not too old as they take longer to cook and are hard for digestion.
- Very young or the baby cluster beans tend to be bitter so if you do not like the flavor then avoid them as well.
- We do not remove the strings of these beans if they are young & not very old. It is very important to remove the string of the older beans as they do not get cooked.
- If you do not like even mild bitter tones in the dish, then precook them with excess water. Drain and discard the water.
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Cluster beans recipe
Cluster beans recipe (goruchikkudu recipe)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 250 grams cluster beans
- ¾ to 1 cup water
- 2 large onions chopped finely
- 1 green chilli chopped or dried red chilli (optional)
- 1½ to 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon mustard
- ½ teaspoon cumin or jeera
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse the cluster beans in lot of water and drain them
- Gently break/ cut one end of the bean. If needed string them by pulling the string lengthwise.
- Repeat the same with both the ends. Cut them to ½ to ¾ inch sized pieces. I usually hold a bunch of them and chop at one time.
- Add them to a bowl and pour water. Cover it.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles by placing the bowl in the cooker. I do it for 10 mins along with my rice in Instant pot.
How to make
- Meanwhile heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and cumin.
- When they splutter, add curry leaves, onions and chilies.
- Saute and fry the onions until deep golden to light brown.
- Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Stir in red chilli powder, garam masala, salt and turmeric.
- When the pressure releases from the cooker, remove the cluster beans and check.
- Option 1 – If the beans are firm yet cooked correctly then transfer the cooked cluster beans along with the stock to the pan. Stir and cook covered on a medium flame until all the water evaporates.
- Option 2 – If the cluster beans overcooked, then just pour the stock to the pan. Cook until the water is almost absorbed by onions. Then just stir in the cooked cluster beans and stir fry for a while until the masala blends well.
- Cluster beans should be soft cooked yet should hold shape and not turn mushy. Check salt and add more if needed.
- Serve goruchikkudu curry/fry with rice, ghee & rasam.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
- If the beans are too young then reduce the cooktime or water. Another option is to sprinkle salt and pressure cook them along with rice. They do not turn mushy with both these methods.
- You can also use a tomato, just fry it until mushy before adding the spices. But as such the recipe does not need.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Variations
1.With moong dal: Just add a handful of rinsed moong dal to the bowl of chopped cluster beans and pressure cook them together by following the below method. I do not add any excess water for dal.
This recipe needs only a tempering of mustard, jeera, garlic, salt, turmeric, dried red chilli and red chilli powder.
2.With coconut: Precook the cluster beans following the method mentioned in the recipe card below. Then temper by heating a tbsp of oil. Add cumin, mustard, garlic, 1 tsp urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves.
Add add turmeric, red chilli powder and cooked cluster beans along with the stock. When the water evaporates, add coconut and stir fry for 30 seconds.
Madhumathi says
It came out well. Thank you. Please share more vegetable curries.
swasthi says
Welcome Madhumathi
Yes sure will share more