Spiced Lima Beans with Garlic and Coconut

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Spiced Lima Beans with Garlic and Coconut

Spiced Lima Beans with Garlic and Coconut is a traditional Nepalese recipe for a classic dish of boiled lima beans served in a coconut, chilli, tamarind and tirphal (Nepalese Sichuan peppercorns) sauce that's served topped with fried garlic. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nepalese version of: Spiced Lima Beans with Garlic and Coconut.

prep time

15 minutes

cook time

70 minutes

Total Time:

85 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Chilli Recipes Vegetarian Recipes Spice Recipes Bean Recipes Nepal Recipes

Ingredients:

250g dried lima beans
400g freshly-grated coconut (or 300g dried, flaked coconut)
4 dried chillies
2 tsp tamarind pulp mixed with 1 tsp water
salt, to taste
6 tirphal (these are Nepalese relatives of Sichuan peppercorns, substitute Sichuan peppercorns)
2 tsp groundnut oil
2 tsp garlic, finely sliced

Method:

Wash and pick over the beans. Place in a bowl, cover with plenty of water and set aside to soak over night.

The following day, drain the beans, place in a pan, add 600ml water, bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until tender.

In the meantime, add the chillies to a cup, pour over warm water and set aside to soak for 40 minutes. When the chillies have begun to soften, place in a blender with the coconut and tamarind. Process until smooth, adding enough of the chilli soaking water and/or bean cooking liquid to give you a thick paste.

Season with salt to taste and add the tirphal then blitz. Pour this mixture into the beans, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Turn into a serving bowl.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and fry until aromatic then pour over the bean mixture as a garnish. Serve hot.