This Butter Beans Kurma Recipe is a delicious kurma with butter beans, potato and coconut masala paste. A perfect side dish for Parottas, though you can easily serve this with idli, dosa, and chapati as well.
Butter Beans are a variety of Lima Beans, though it is not the same.
Please refer to the pictures showcasing Butter Beans on how these beans look. This variety is available only during the season and for a short period as well. Procuring these beans have always been a challenge, on top these are so expensive that you to make a special meal with it.
During the season, a kilo would go up to Rs200 or more as well. For Vegetarians, this produce is surely prized one!
We first came to know about these beans some 30 years back, when I was a kid. Our neighbours who are from Rajapalayam used to make this and this kurma is a prized recipe. Aunty used to just whole spices with just fennel seeds either as whole or ground along with coconut.
Amma over the years has adapted this Butter Beans Kurma Recipe it to a new recipe. I first shared this recipe in 2008, and the pictures didn't justify the taste. So made it again in recent times. We always make Parotta for the meal.
These butter beans are long, white beans, with a very creamy texture. When I checked on net, some say this is a popular Madurai produce, though it looks with little pinkish veins on it.
However, I always remember the beans we get have been pure white in colour. So I can't say what the names of these beans are elsewhere. We call it butter beans and this Butter Beans Kurma Recipe makes an excellent side dish for roti or parotta.
We have something called the double beans, with which I make Lima Beans Pulao or Sundal.
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Ingredients
This Butter Beans Kurma can be made with just beans or if you like, you can add potato as well. We mostly make it with just the beans. At times, we do add potatoes either if the beans are less or if want to have a variation to the beans. Either ways, this kurma is a creamy rich gravy.
For Masala Paste
- Poppy Seeds - Poppy Seeds or Gasa Gasa is an important ingredient for making kurmas. It adds a wonderful butty taste to the gravy.
- Coconut - Fresh grated coconut roasted and ground adds a delicious nutty taste and makes it very creamy.
- Whole Spices - We only use Cloves & Cinnamon. There was a time when we used to add cardamom as well. Over the years our taste and methods have changed.
For the Gravy for the butter beans kurma recipe
- Butter Beans - I am not exactly sure of the English name for this, though we can say it is a variety of Lima Beans. These beans are very creamy and very expensive too. We can either cook with just these or can add potatoes
- Spices - I have used Mustard and Fennel. Fennel is another important spice used in this kurma. So can't skip this one.
- Herbs - Use curry leaves and coriander leaves for a aromatic kurma.
- For the gravy base - We use Onions and tomatoes to get the gravy base. Both are cooked for a while to form the gravy.
- Spice powders - Regular pantry spice powders are used to spice this kurma.
Instructions
This recipe has two parts to be done. First is the ground masala paste with spices and coconut. Next is the gravy. Read on to know the exact steps this needs.
For Masala Paste
Heat a pan and dry roast the spices along with freshly grated coconut.
Allow to cool down and grind to a smooth paste.
Making the Gravy
Shell the beans from the pods and wash well. Finely chop onions and make tomato puree.
Heat a pressure cooker with oil, add mustard, and fennel seeds, and let it splutter.
Next, add the finely chopped onions, and curry leaves and let the onions brown a little.
Once the onions are brown, add ginger garlic paste, and saute well.
Add peeled and cubed potatoes to the pan and combine everything well.
Simmer for a while as the potatoes get browned.
Add tomato puree, and mix well.
Now add the spice powder one by one and mix well.
Cook on high flame until the masala is well mixed.
Simmer for 5 mins, add the butter beans now.
Mix well and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Add the ground coconut masala, and mix well along with water as required.
Cover with lid and pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles as needed.
Once the pressure falls, remove the lid, add chopped coriander leaves and bring to a boil
Serve with parottas.
Substitutions & Variations
We can make this kurma only with the butter beans alone.
You can add potatoes for a variation or if you feel the beans is not enough. Instead of gravy, one can make a dry saute as well.
Storage
The beans are seasonal, so it means we hardly get this for extended period. When we do get it, it doesn't stay good for long. So it is important to cook as soon as you get it.
Expert Tips
I normally freeze ginger garlic paste, coconut paste, poppy seeds powder as well as fennel powder.
These frozen and powders help me in reducing the cooking time drastically.
Saute the potatoes well so that you need not pressure cook for long. The beans have to be crunchy, so its enough if you pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles.
Recipe
Butter Beans Kurma Recipe
Ingredients
For Masala Paste
- 1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds / Gasa Gasa
- 1 cup Fresh Coconut grated
- 4 Cloves
- 2- inch Cinnamon
For the Gravy
- 1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 1 sprig Curry Leaves
- 250 grams Butter Beans
- 2 medium Potatoes cubed
- 2 cups Onions
- 2 cups Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- A Pinch Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- Handful Coriander leaves
- 3 teaspoon Cooking Oil
Instructions
For Masala Paste
- Heat a pan and dry roast the spices along with freshly grated coconut.
- Allow to cool down and grind to a smooth paste.
Making the Gravy
- Shell the beans from the pods and wash well. Finely chop onions and make tomato puree.
- Heat a pressure cooker with oil, add mustard, and fennel seeds, and let it splutter.
- Next, add the finely chopped onions, and curry leaves and let the onions brown a little.
- Once the onions are brown, add ginger garlic paste, and saute well.
- Add peeled and cubed potatoes to the pan and combine everything well.
- Simmer for a while as the potatoes get browned.
- Add tomato puree, and mix well.
- Now add the spice powder one by one and mix well.
- Cook on high flame until the masala is well mixed.
- Simmer for 5 mins, add the butter beans now.
- Mix well and let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the ground coconut masala, and mix well along with water as required.
- Cover with lid and pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles as needed.
- Once the pressure falls, remove the lid, add chopped coriander leaves and bring to a boil
- Serve with parottas.
Nutrition
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jayasree says
Never had the chance to cook with butter beans. Let me try if i can get hold of the dried ones. The kurma looks yummy and tempting too. With ur participation to WHB, we readers also get to learn with you. Thanks Valli.
notyet100 says
nice recipe,.whts the other name of butter beans,
Arundathi says
I love butter beans too. Did you happen to get them here? I too always referred to them as Lima Beans - didn't realize they weren't the same
sireesha says
Hi Srivalli,
Butter kurma looks yummy and delicious. The Plate is inviting......
kamala says
My kids love Butter beans so much valli..I miss this beans so much.will try lima beans.I like to remove the beans from the pods.Gravy looks yummy too
Medhaa says
this look syummy, I always called them lima beans, thats what we get here.
I have a award for you at my Blog. You deserve it.
vb says
Oh, this looks delicious! I'm sorry, I don't know the name of the bean but the food looks tempting.
bee says
there are two types of lima beans - baby lima beans and the Fordhook. what you call butter beans are the foodhook lima bans,
Neha says
never knew abt butter beans, may be i know its some other name..
Anyways an award is waiting for u in my blog ...do check..
Rachel says
I love these beans as wll...the gravy looks good..I usually steam them....
Cham says
I make Kurma with Lima beans :)But this bean , i ven't seen yet! They looks perfect for ur rotis
indosungod says
Valli I know what you mean. Miss those fresh butter beans like crazy. Have to settle for Lima beans which are creamy and called butter beans here but not with the same taste and they are broader and flatter.
The kurma and the roti looks yummy. No substitute yes.
Anonymous says
Srivalli,
I'll have to try this dish - I love butter beans. Do you know what it is called in Tamil/Telugu?
Mamatha
Anonymous says
Published the previous comment too fast. The butter beans I've seen here are not this plump, they are more flatter. But I've only used the canned ones. I really like the flavor they impart to the dish - it is closest in taste to mochai/anumulu, which I don't get here.
Mamatha
Asha says
Bookmarked!:)
Superchef says
i have had this butter beans kurma at one of my friend's place...i knew it was butter beans only later...loved them!!
Namratha says
Looks lip smacking good!:)
easycrafts says
An award waiting for u on my blog
Kalyn says
I see that Bee has found some good information about the various types of butter/lima beans. I've been beans similar to this in a can here, but I haven't found dried beans called butter beans. They sound delicious the way you're preparing them!
Anonymous says
These look more like borlotti beans. Butter beans is a term used for baby lima beans, although there is a speckled butter bean that is less commonly seen and which cooks up dark whereas the baby lima cooks up a light color.
The pods of your beans are similar to that of pinto beans, however, pinto beans are a bit longer than borlotti beans. These are more round than long and that's why I'm thinking borlotti.
My family grew a lot of beans at one time and I've shelled more than my share.
Nice recipe. I intend to make it.
Anonymous says
the other name is BUTTER PEAS. U can get in walmart in frozen section.
GOPI says
Ya! This is the first time i am seeing that was on the Internet...
Its looking delicious....
Better any cook for me.....
Ha ha ha!!!!
srividhya says
This is indeed a costly beans and we love it too. I couldn't find the fresh ones here in US and miss these a lot. Yummy Kurma Valli.
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says
I have never tried butter beans. The kurma looks very tempting...