Sem ki phali as we know it in North India is also known as surti papdi or valor in Gujarati. These flat beans are much loved in all of India.
In my home sem ki sabji is regularly made as one of the veggie dishes.
You can also make only sem ki sabzi without the potatoes. I do that more often. This is a simple stir fry recipe which does not take much time to cook.
It is tasty and goes very well with rotis or parathas. It is perfect for packing in the lunchbox as well.
You may also like: aloo capsicum ki sabzi, jeera aloo, toor dal
How to prepare the flat beans
Sem is a flat green bean which is rich in fibre and vitamins. Always choose nice green beans that are fresh.
To prepare sem or flat beans, you will need to remove the fibrous string that runs along the outer length of some of them.
The easiest way to do this is by snipping a small piece on the top of the bean and then using that to pull out the string from the side.
Once you have pulled out all the tough strings, just chop the bean into about ½ to 1 inch pieces. You are now ready to cook it.
Here is my simple sem aloo ki sabzi recipe as made in my home:
Instructions
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and asafetida. Cook till cumin seeds sputter.
Add turmeric powder to the oil and then add chopped sem along with potatoes. Mix well.
Add coriander powder, cayenne and salt and mix well.
Cook covered for about 15-20 minutes on low flame till the veggies are cooked.
Open the pan and stir the veggies once every 5-7 minutes.
The veggies cook in their own steam and you should not need to add any water.
Once almost cooked, add garam masala and amchur powder. Mix well and taste to adjust seasoning.
Your aloo sem sabji is ready to serve. Enjoy it with rotis or parathas.
Pro Tips
This is a vegan recipe.
You can use two chopped tomatoes in place of amchur powder. Just add the chopped tomatoes to the cumin and asafetida.
Cook covered till mushy. And then add turmeric powder, sem and aloo to the mix.
You can skip potatoes if you so like. I do this quite often.
This is a tasty vegetable stir fry that is a perfect side to a healthy meal when coupled with dal and rotis or rice.
Serve hot sem aloo along with dal and rice or rotis.
It is an easy recipe to make and is quite tasty. Do try it.
📖 Recipe Card
Sem ki sabji Recipe | How to Make aloo sem sabji
Ingredients
- 2 cup sem chopped
- 1 potato peeled and cubed
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafetida
- 1 tsp. amchur powder dried mango powder
- 1 tsp. garam masala powder
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- 1 tsp. cayenne or red chilli powder
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
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Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and asafetida. Cook till cumin seeds sputter.
- Add turmeric powder to the oil and then add chopped sem along with potatoes. Mix well.
- Add coriander powder, cayenne and salt and mix well.
- Cook covered for about 15-20 minutes on low flame till the veggies are cooked.
- Open the pan and stir the veggies once every 5-7 minutes.
- The veggies cook in their own steam and you should not need to add any water.
- Once almost cooked, add garam masala and amchur powder. Mix well and taste to adjust seasoning.
- Your sem aloo is ready to serve. Enjoy it with rotis or parathas.
Notes
You can use two chopped tomatoes in place of amchur powder. Just add the chopped tomatoes to the cumin and asafetida. Cook covered till mushy. And then add turmeric powder, sem and aloo to the mix.
You can skip potatoes if you so like.
This is a tasty vegetable stir fry that is a perfect side to a healthy meal when coupled with dal and rotis or rice.
Nutrition
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Anurag says
Made the vegetable today and it came out simple and quite tasty.