I’ve mentioned that I’ve been a teensy unwell and my good friend Helene from Masala Herb has jumped to my rescue with a fantastic post about yard long beans. I’ve never cooked with them but after looking at this, I can’t wait to give them a go. If you don’t already follow Helene’s blog, please visit. She’s originally from Austria but lives in the seaside city of Goa in India. Her blog is fascinating.
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Howdy! Maureen is taking a break today, so that I can introduce you to one of my favourite Asian vegetables, the Yard long beans. Those light greenish long beans are a great alternative to the common bean vegetables. I always compare them to French beans, because of the long shape but just that they are 10 times longer in length ( I might exaggerate here) and they are also a tiny bit larger. The difference between yard long beans and French beans is mainly the texture and the way the yard long beans grow. Also, they are nothing like the bitter Guar Beans, another common bean type in India, no; the flesh flavour is plainer and less juicy.
The first time I saw yard long beans, I was shocked. The length is incredible and so confusing. I mean how many vegetables do you know that are that long? The only other vegetables that come to my mind are the Ridge gourd and Snake gourd, however those are not that skinny and fragile looking. Now don’t misunderstand me, yard long beans are indeed quite strong if you try to pull them apart but they look like nothing I have ever seen before.
I am not sure if you have encountered or cooked with yard long beans before since they seem to be very much unknown to the world. Not only do the long vegetable strings resemble French beans, you can use them the same way in many Indian and International recipes. The only difference is that you will have to cut the yard long beans into smaller pieces before you can even think of cooking them.
I decided to take it easy for today so that you get an idea on how to use the Yard Long beans effectively in your daily meal planning. Therefore I chose to make one of my frequent salad sides with French dressing. The idea to use yard long beans instead of French beans came when I couldn’t buy French beans in the market a few years back. That doesn’t happen too often because French beans have turned into a staple here in Goa, but that day I was really bummed. I had to come up quickly with a solution for my lunch dilemma so the next option was to give the yard long beans a chance in a salad.
It is said that yard long beans should be stir fried and not cooked in water because they lose some of their juiciness when boiled but the Goan yard long beans bhaji for example is first barely fried for a minute with onion and tomato and then water is quickly added to cover the beans so that they can cook until soft. Honestly I don’t think they are that dry after cooking in water. I feel it’s more important that you buy young and still very fresh yard long beans for this salad and of course you shouldn’t over cook them.
I like to add some tomatoes and spring onions for some bonus flavours, together with some tuna flakes and dijon mustard French dressing to make it even more interesting. Of course, if you are not able to organize yard long beans in your locality, then maybe you might just want to use simple ol’ French beans. It’s still an option but the point of this post is to introduce you to a yard long beans dish with western style flavours. I hope you‘ll get a chance to try them out soon and maybe you’ll have some preparation and recipe ideas to share soon.
Have you ever tried Yard long beans?
- 100 grams Yard long beans
- 1 Tomato
- 1-2 Tablespoons sliced fresh Spring Onion
- Canned Tuna flakes
- 1 Tablespoon White wine vinegar
- Pinch salt
- Pinch pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon style grain mustard
- Rinse your Yard long beans so that all impurities are removed. Cut off both ends of the beans and cut your beans with a knife or kitchen scissors into about 3-4 centimetre long pieces (or smaller if you prefer). I tend to use the scissors, way faster.
- Keep them in a pot, cover with water (not too much water) and cook on a medium flame for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked. Strain, let cool and keep in the fridge until further use.
- Wash your Tomato and spring onion. Quarter the tomato and slice thin and slice your spring onion too. Get the tuna and flake into smaller pieces. Keep all ingredients in a bowl or plate with the previously cooked Yard long beans and mix carefully.
- For the dressing grab a jar with a lid. Add the Vinegar, salt and pepper first, close the jar and shake. Salt doesn’t get mixed in oil, that’s why we need to dissolve it first in the vinegar. Then add the oil and mustard, close the lid and shake well again until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and enjoy. If there is some dressing left, just store it in a closed jar in the fridge and use it for something else.
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Preparation: 10 minutes
- Serves 1 plate
Immense thanks to Helene for sharing her yard long beans. You can find Helene on Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. She’s a great friend to have.
Fun guest post. I’ve never heard of yard long beans before. Looks like a delicious, healthy lunch.
Hope you’re feeling well soon, Maureen! And super guest post, Helene. I’ve heard of yard long beans, but don’t believe I’ve ever seen any. They’re certainly not in my local grocery store! Maybe in some specialty stores. Anyway, these sound interesting – I might have to track some down so I can try this. Thanks!
Such a fresh looking salad!
Looks delicious! I’ve never heard of long yard beans but would love to give them a try.
Maureen, I do hope you are doing better, sending positive thoughts to you!
Helene, beautiful dish, though I must say, I’ve never seen beans this long, very curious!
Thank you =)
lol yeah I thought the same thing when I saw them the first time. 😉
I have used yard beans …always cooked them the Indian way. This salad looks so good. I will try them this way too.
Hope you feel better soon dear Maureen! take care!
I think so we all have cooked yard long beans only the Indian way. I like to think out of the box. =)
I’ve never heard of these long beans nor do I think you can yet buy them in Europe.
I am not sure… My people in Europe are keeping an eye out for these, so in case I ll let you know here if and where one can buy yard long beans.
Great way of using long beans. I’ve only seen them used in Thai cooking. Great to have a new recipe. I do hope you’re feeling a little better. GG
Maureen, glad that you are resting… Helene, a great post! I love these beans, but we can’t always source them easily. Happy cooking y’all.
Yeah I can imagine… They don’t grow the whole year round, there is a season for yard long beans and I think that is why you don’t get them so easily in Australia.
Oh myy, hope you feel better soon Maureen. That is really nice of Helene to do a post for you and as always she has some of my favorite veggies from India. Although I haven’t made it this way, I can’t wait to try this one out.
Good to see you here Helene.
Thanks Ash 😉
I’m not sure if we have those beans here but we have snake beans and they look very similar. Perhaps it’s the same thing but with a different name. This dish look full of flavour xx
Exactly it’s the same Charlie. I didn’t know that some people call them snake beans. ^.^ Just researched and wiki told me.
My daddy’s favourite salad ever 🙂
Thank you Helene!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Great post and I’m sure the salad is very tasty.
I’ve heard of and seen these beans before and I’m trying to develop a palate for fresh green beans though I was scarred in childhood by overcooked mushy yellow and green beans, so with texture and fragrance issues, it’s hard to be enthusiastic about them. Minimal additions of the beans to things like minestrone soup would probably my best bet to enjoy them. 🙂
Well the over cooking can be controlled. Also another great tip, always buy fresh beans. I have noticed too that nowadays farmers tend to harvest vegetables in general too early which can be a problem while cooking. Either the beans can turn chewy or they have those odd strings. Therefore always go for organic beans or buy from a trusted farmer. hope that helps!
Those are some long beans!
I think we sometimes call them snake beans but they’re quite hard to find here but so worth the search!
Hope you’re feeling ok Maureen. x
Yep they are also called snake beans. Claire you know more then I do! 😉
G’day! First of all and most importantly, hope you feel better soon, true!
Fun guest post, never heard of long beans, let alone cooked with them; have heard of snake beans; always enjoy learning something new!
Cheers! Joanne
Joanne they are also known as snake beans. 😉
WOW! Those are some beans….and they made a great salad.
Get better soon, Maureen.
Funny how different cuisines come up with names for the same thing and they both make perfect sense. Hope you’re feeling better soon Maureen.
This salad looks delicious. We call them Chinese long beans here. I’ve never worked with them before, but now I just might pick up a bunch the next time I’m at the Asian market.
Maureen, I hope you’re getting yourself well. John better be taking extra good care of you. 🙂
A lovely side even those our long beans do not reach quite the same length! The use of tuna makes this almost a luncheon or primo piatti offering: I love the relatively new tuna in pouches available here [Down Under] with no waste due to excess liquid. Wonder a little what would make this ‘Asian’: to me it sounds rather like a taste filled fusion dish? To Maureen: best wishes naturally ~ have been battling myself for quite a few weeks . . .
Yes I think so I would call it a fusion dish too Eha. 😉
Wish I could get tuna in pouches too!
Yes, I have to assume they are the same as yard long beans but they go by a different name. We find them here in Asian markets. Hope you are feeling better Maureen.
Beautiful job! This looks absolutely perfect.
Maureen, wishing you a speedy recovery. We have long beans here in Hong Kong, China and I usually use them in stir friss but this salad sounds very refreshing and delightful.
How sweet of your friend Helene to do this post for you. never cooked with these beans myself but the recipe looks wonderful. Hope you are better.
Maureen, hope you will be in tip-top share very soon. Meanwhile, very much enjoyed this fun post and being introduced to the quirky and surprising yard long bean! Had never seen/heard of it before. The salad looks beautiful Helene! Wonderful.
Thank you =) Glad I was able to introduce you to these gems.
Maureen, I hope you’re feeling better soon. Helene is so sweet…how nice of her to help you out in a pinch. I’ve never had long beans and only know of them by reading blogs. Thanks for the descriptive comparison. I’d love to try them..and your recipe, Helene!
I am so glad you chose to blog about long beans. I have seen them before, but never bought them because I did not have a clue what to do with them.
Thank you!
lol
You know foreigners here in India tell me the same?
A friend of mine has been living here for over 25 years and she has a Italian restaurant, but she never knew what to do with them so that’s why she never bought any.
In the Philippines, we called this string beans. I love this type of beans. I am glad you’ ve shared this recipe.
Funny how everybody else has a different name for them. 😉
I’ve never even heard of these beans! They look great though, as does the salad – and Maureen, I hope you’re feeling 100% again soon.
Hi,
I am very impressed after reading through parts of your blog. With your cooking skills I think you could be interested in this competition I have found. You cook your national dish and then you have the opportunity to win an iPad mini or money. It could also be a good chance for you to let more people know about your blog since you will be shown on their homepage and in a cookbook!
Here’s the presentation about the competition:
Competition: Win iPad or Money
And here’s their facebook page:
Facebook Page
I hope you will be win..
Thanks
I always find it hard to find a place that sells these long beans. Looks like a tasty recipe
Oh my goodness, those are some long beans! This is the first I’ve heard of them, but I like the how-to’s and history you gave, Helene. Tasty looking salad! Hope you’re feeling better soon, Maureen. Take care, both of you!
I have seen these beans before… but never worked with them. Looks like a great salad. 🙂
Wow it looks like you have been doing a lot of cooking! I really need to get better about trying al the amazing recipes I see!
Hi Helene! Lovely to ‘meet’ you 🙂 Never heard of yard beans before, thanks for showing us something new!!
Hope you’re feeling better Maureen, get well soon xo
Nice to meet you too Lisa =)
Aw hope you are recovering Maureen 🙁 This recipe is ace and no, never tried yard long bean but after eatings ribs for two days straight…I should!
Thank you! That has been great so easy for making.
I have never tried yard long beans, but I will be trying this with green beans. Looks fantastic!!
Hi Trisha, lovely to meet you!
Hope you are back in action soon, Maureen. Take care of yourself. Meanwhile, Helene did a great job. I love beans and am delighted I can get them by the yard now. Lovely dish.
Love this long beans, we use them alot in stir fries and barely on salads. This would be a keeper, thanks for sharing
BTW we call them string beans here
I hope you feel better soon Maureen.
Helene this recipe look so delicious and healthy, we have snake beans here which look the same. I grow them because they grow so easily at home so I will have to try this recipe with my snake beans.
You grow these beans? I wish I could do that too but the insects are mad here. Need to learn your tricks! 😉
I’ve seen long beans, eaten them, but have never cooked them. So glad I saw this post, because I would definitely have cooked them in water like I do most beans. This bean and tomato salad looks like a great side or wonderful lunch for us. Thanks for this great recipe! Maureen, I hope you’re feeling better!
Sounds clean and delicious!!