These Elegant Green Beans and Potatoes, rich in savory flavors, made tangy with tomatoes, and spicy with green chilies, are a perfect Thanksgiving side dish. Simmered over the stovetop in a wok, this Indian-styled Aloo Sem is so easy and packed with flavors.
Fresh green beans roasted with potatoes are no doubt an amazing vegetable to team with Roti (Flatbread) or rice. Full of flavor and nutrition, these make-ahead beans make a comfort meal for holidays or any busy day!
This quick and simple recipe of roasted potatoes with green beans made using the stovetop method would be real time saver, yet would taste crispy like roasted in an oven.
I have always loved the fact that cooking in a wok saves my time and with not much preparation needed for this recipe, I would make a bunch of rotis on another burner while sauteing this veggie.
In India, this vegetable is called Aloo Sem. Not much prepping, just chop, wash, and roast with Indian spices slowly and top with fresh tomatoes for a perfect tangy flavor.
Trust me, they will be your family's favorite side dish soon!
Find More Side Dishes: Pan Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato Chaat, Sweet Potato Fritters, Beet Salad with Feta
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Why Would You Love This Recipe?
- The Simple and Zesty Vegetable Tasty Side Dish.
- Vegan and Gluten Free.
- Made with minimum oil needed.
- Simple Ingredients.
- Minimum Prep Time and Cooking time.
- Kids Friendly.
- Easy side dish that can make a hearty meal!
- The Best Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Ever!
Ingredients
- Green Beans- The Fresh green beans work best for this recipe. Trim the ends and chop in large or ½ inch pieces. You may use frozen beans or canned beans as well, but the taste may differ. If you don't have green beans, the same recipe works with capsicum, cauliflower, and zucchini too.
- Potatoes- The Gold or Russet Potatoes work great. The firm potatoes are better suited as this recipe involves slow cooking over the stove and you won't like too soft potatoes. While I have used local yukon Gold potatoes, red potatoes or baby potatoes work well too.
- Tomatoes- This is my family recipe to add chopped fresh tomatoes to the vegetable once it's almost done. Though it's an optional step, but it adds the perfect tangy flavor and makes the beans and potatoes juicy. You may use tomato puree as well.
- Spices- Red Chili Powder, Green Chili, Raw Mango Powder, Cumin Seeds (Jeera), Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder. You may also add Garam Masala. Pls adjust the heat as my level of spicy may differ from yours.
- Mustard Oil- The best oil we use in India for cooking all dry vegetables. The mustard oil has a spicy and bitter flavor and it adds amazing aroma to the vegetable. That said, I understand that in a few countries, it is not recommended to be used for edible purposes. You may use any vegetable oil, coconut oil, or olive oil.
- Asoeftida (Heeng)- is a spice that is added to all Indian curries and veggies.
- Salt
How To Make Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans
Step 1 Wash and Chop
Gather all the ingredients. Trim the ends of the green beans. Chop them in small or large pieces as you like. Peel the washed potatoes and chop them in long slices, though small would work too.
In a large pot of water, wash veggies twice.
Heat the mustard oil in wok. It is recommended not to consume raw mustard oil. For cooking it, keep the flame high. It takes about 1-2 min. the color of oil would change from dark yellow to transparent light yellow. That indicates that oil is ready for cooking. This high heating of oil would release smoke so make sure your kitchen is airy enough to get rid of that. The oil would take 2-3 min to become warm.
Step 2 Temper the veggies
In the warm (not hot) oil, add Heeng and Cumin Seeds. Once cumin splutters, add spices. Immediately add green chili, chopped beans and potatoes. Give a good mix. Sprinkle salt.
Let it be cooked for about 8-10 min on slow flame with lid. Keep sauteing in between for uniform cooking.
Step 3 Add Tomatoes
Once the vegetables are tender, add tomatoes and cook it on slow lame for about 4 min.
Step 4 Serve It
Sprinkle raw mango powder and coriander leaves (optional) and serve the potatoes and green beans with Roti!
Storage Suggestions
Since this is a dry vegetable, it would be good for about 2-3 days when stored in a dry container (with lid) in the refrigerator.
For reheating, slow cook it in the stove top for about 5-8 min or till warm or heat in an oven for about 5 min.
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a dry vegetable, it would be good for about 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container (with a lid) in the refrigerator.
For reheating, medium-high heat it on the stove top for about 5-8 min or till warm, or heat it in an oven for about 5 min.
- Chapati/ Roti/ Paratha
- Jeera Rice
- Mushroom Soup/ Gravy
- Sour Cream
- Cheese
Expert Tips
- Use a heavy-bottomed wok or else the vegetable may stick to its bottom.
- To save time, you may trim and chop the beans a day in advance. Make sure to keep the trimmed green beans dry in a kitchen cloth in the refrigerator (summer) or the kitchen counter in winter.
- Make sure to saute the vegetables in a wok at regular intervals or it might stick to the bottom of the pan. I have used a wok. You may choose a large non-stick skillet.
- Tomatoes (Raw mango powder) are always added at the last as they are citrus and they may hamper the cooking process of any vegetable. Add them once the potatoes are done.
- You may cut the potatoes with a spatula to know if they are done. If they are done, they would smoothly chop off (fork tender). Beans usually take a bit longer than potatoes to cook. When potatoes are done, cook beans for another 3-5 min on slow flame with a lid.
- Don't add spices to hot oil or they would get burnt up. Make sure the oil is just warm.
FAQs
No, this is not a necessary step as we are roasting both potatoes and green beans slowly over the stovetop.
Yes, beans and potatoes are a great way to include a side dish in your meal.
Other than the Indian spices mentioned in this recipe, you may flavor green beans with garlic powder or fresh, onions, honey or sesame.
Stories From Kitchen
This is my mother-in-law's recipe and I used to wonder why she adds tomatoes in dry veggies, as that was not done at my home. Trust me, adding tomatoes to dry veggies with potatoes make them amazingly juicy and tangy.
You May Also Like-
More Healthy Vegan Side Dishes:
- Methi Paratha Recipe
- Easy Fermented Cucumber Pickle
- Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad
- Indian Mango Rice
- Homemade Tomato Ketchup -Fresh Tomatoes
- Podi Dosa Recipe
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Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans (Aloo Sem)
Equipment
- 1 Wok Heavy bottomed
- 1 pot washing veggies
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups fresh chopped beans 250 gm
- 3-4 medium potato
- 1 medium tomato
- 1.5 tablespoon mustard oil can use any vegetable oil
- 1 small green chili optional
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon Heeng (Asafoetida)
- ½ teaspoon Amchur ⅓ teaspoon lemon juice
- salt as per taste
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Trim the ends of the green beans. Chop them in small or large pieces as you like. Peel the washed potatoes and chop them in long slices, though small would work too.In a large pot of water, wash veggies twice. Heat the mustard oil in wok. It is recommended not to consume raw mustard oil. For cooking it, keep the flame high. It takes about 1-2 min. the color of oil would change from dark yellow to transparent light yellow. That indicates that oil is ready for cooking. This high heating of oil would release smoke so make sure your kitchen is airy enough to get rid of that. The oil would take 2-3 min to become warm.
- In the warm (not hot) oil, add Heeng and Cumin Seeds. Once cumin splutters, add spices. Immediately add green chili, chopped beans and potatoes. Give a good mix. Sprinkle salt.Let it be cooked for about 8-10 min on slow flame with lid. Keep sauteing in between for uniform cooking.
- Once the vegetables are tender, add tomatoes and cook it on slow lame for about 4 min.
- Sprinkle raw mango powder and coriander leaves (optional) and serve the potatoes and green beans with Roti!
Notes
- Use a heavy bottomed wok or else the vegetable may stick to it's bottom.
- To save time, you may trim and chop the beans a day in advance. Make sure to keep it dry in a kitchen cloth in refrigerator (summers) or the kitchen counter in winters.
- Make sure to saute the vegetable in wok at regular gaps.
- Tomatoes (Raw mango powder) are always added at the last as they are citrus and they may hamper the cooking process of any vegetable. Add them once the potatoes are done.
- You may cut the potatoes with spatula to know if they are done. If they are done, they would smoothly chop off. beans take a bit longer than potatoes to cook. When potatoes are done, cook beans for another 3-5 min on slow flame with lid.
- Don't add spice is hot oil or they would get burnt up. Make sure the oil is just warm.
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Nutrition Facts Serving size: people Servings: 5 Amount per serving Calories 160 % Daily Value* Total Fat 4.6g 6% Saturated Fat 0.6g 3% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 17mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 27.7g 10% Dietary Fiber 4.6g 16% Total Sugars 2g Protein 3.7g Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Calcium 36mg 3% Iron 2mg 11% Potassium 701mg 15% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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