Possibly the earliest task I was entrusted with in my grandmother’s kitchen was the shelling of peas and beans. The former I liked for the added benefit of being able to snack on the job. But it was the latter, the beans, that really fascinated me with their glowing, unpredictable colours. My grandmother must have been incredibly patient, marking time by varying her cooking routine while I examined every pod, sorted every bean into colour coded piles – always looking for the next surprising variation, the rarest speckled hues. I’ve always had a sneaking sympathy for Jack, of the beanstalk fame, who got into trouble for trading the cow he was sent to sell for a handful of “magic beans”. All those dazzling colours and patterns! How could you blame the lad for being taken in?

Chances are, if you peek into the kitchen garden of any home in Coorg, you’ll see a small bamboo frame supporting some rambling bean plants. My grandmother had one, and being sent off to gather the grown beans was excitement in itself. I know, I am easily pleased.

These were most commonly runner or french beans, but in the local markets – particularly now in December, it’s possible to find small batches of cranberry beans, speckled butter beans, pinto beans, something very like Christmas lima beans – all  varieties of beans that I’ve become more familiar with while living in North America. In Coorg, these beautiful beans go by the cover all name of “kuru”, which means seed. The larger ones, like the speckled butter beans are known as avaré.

I’m not surprised at their presence* so much as curious about how they came to be such common household staples in Coorg. Perhaps they were brought in by enthusiastic home gardeners, (possibly British) or even through the convents or missions in Mangalore. However they landed, these exotics have long been a staple in Kodava kitchens. Cooked in a simple stew, or combined with smoked, dried meat and potatoes for more  hearty fare, kuru and avaré are welcome at any table.

Seeing the many marvellous varieties of beans available makes me wish people would expand and enhance the repertoire of “kuru” and “avaré ” to include more of them.  They’re easy to grow, tasty, nutritious, and so pretty to look at, besides. Take a look at some of the possibilities on Steve Sando’s site, Rancho Gordo, an amazing collection of heirloom beans from the New World. Pay a little attention to that beanstalk, and who knows what treasure might turn up!

Shelling peas and beans remains one of my favourite tasks to this day. Just don’t ask me to sell a cow.

* Seeing how happily we have adopted various imports into our diet.To name just a few, we have the “parangi malu” – the small kanthari chilli, known as “foreign pepper” to distinguish it from the native black pepper ; “parangi chekké ” or foreign jackfruit, which is the  pineapple, and of course the potato, known as “elathi kandé”, a contraction of “vilayati kandé” or English tuber!

Kuru curry

A  garlicky, hot and sour bean stew.

• 2 cups fresh beans or 1 cup dried beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 cup green/French beans, cut into 1” lengths
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder, or to taste
• Salt to taste

Put the soaked or fresh beans in a deep pan along with the garlic, cover with 1’’ of water and bring to a boil. Skim off any froth that rises. When 3/4 cooked, drop in the green beans and cook until they are just tender. Stir in the remaining spices and salt. Cover and set aside.

Tempering

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 – 3 green chillis, slit
• 1 small sprig of curry leaves
• I medium onion, finely sliced
• 5 – 6 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed

Heat the oil and sputter the mustard seed, followed by the curry leaves and garlic. When the garlic has begun to brown, add the green chillis and onions. Sauté until the onions are soft and beginning to brown. Add to the cooked beans and bring to a gentle simmer.cook for 4 – 5 minutes.

Grind together

• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp thick tamarind extract

Add the ground coconut paste to the simmering beans and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and eat with steamed or ghee rice.