Sem Til ki Sabzi: Broad Beans in Black Sesame Sauce

Tender broad beans / fava beans (sem in Hindi) are cooked with an unusually colored, delicious black sesame sauce in this recipe. The dark, nutty flavor of the sauce brings out the earthiness of the broad beans.

[I discovered to my surprise today that in non-Indian recipes, broad beans refer not to the pods but to the seeds inside them – the shell is peeled off and discarded! It seems that the sort of broad beans available in other countries are mature and do need peeling – but if you get lucky you might just find the tender pods that this recipe calls for.]

You Need:

• Broad beans (sem) – 200 grams
• Black sesame seeds (til) – 1/2 cup [buy here]
• Fresh coconut – 1/2 cup
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• Onion – 1/3 (~1 tablespoon when chopped)
• Salt and pepper – to taste
• Cumin seeds – a pinch
• Mustard seeds – a pinch
• Sesame oil or peanut oil – 1 tablespoon

How To Make Broad Beans in Black Sesame Sauce:

1. Chop and string the beans

Snip off the ends of each broad bean pod. Chop into 1 cm slices, destringing if needed along the way – check out the steps for it in an older recipe: how to destring string beans.

2. Make the black sesame paste

Place the black sesame seeds in a chutney grinder.

Grind to sticky powder consistency. Tip: You may have to do this in 2-3 cycles: open the grinder, scoop back in the seeds sticking to the grinder’s walls, and grind again.

Add garlic cloves, onion and coconut to the grinder.

Grind everything to paste.

3. Cook the beans

Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil (or peanut oil) in a kadhai or thick-bottomed pan.

To the hot oil, add a pinch of cumin seeds and mustard seeds.

Set the heat to low and immediately transfer the chopped broad beans to the pan.

Stir to coat with the tempered oil.

Cook covered for 6 minutes, uncovering once in between to stir around.

Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Remember to season well, since the black sesame paste (that will be added later) absorbs some of its saltiness.

Mix and continue to cook covered for another few minutes till the broad beans are almost done.

4. Put it all together

Tip the freshly ground black sesame paste into the pan.

Tip: Deglaze the grinder with a tablespoon of water and add this sesame-coconut water to the pan too.

Blend the paste well with the cooking broad beans.

Cook covered for 2-3 minutes  or till the onions and garlic in the black paste no longer taste or smell raw.

Let the pan stand covered for another 2-3 minutes.

Broad beans in black sesame sauce is ready.

Serve broad beans in black sesame sauce warm with bread/chapati/parathas on the side.

Meal below: chapatis, cucumber raita, broad beans in black sesame sauce.

Notes: