Seim (see Hyacinth Bean if you don’t know what they are) was yet another dish my mom would cook occasionally, which she couldn’t even force us to eat as kids. She would add coconut milk, left over pieces of stewed meats and even pieces of salted cod to try and get us to eat it… no luck! As a grown man I still don’t have much of an appetite for it and it’s mainly due to the distinctive flavor it possesses. Though it’s cooked in the same manner as bodi, something which I really like, I just can’t fully appreciate that unique sort of flavor seim has. A flavor which is very difficult to describe… can a vegetable/bean be ‘gamey’?

This curry seim recipe is a wonderful vegetarian dish but you can also add pieces of meats as mentioned above, if you’d like to enhance the overall flavor.

You’ll Need…
1 pound seim (cleaned and trimmed)
1 tablespoon madras curry powder (Caribbean blend)
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 small onion
3 chilies (I had some bird pepper in the fridge)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon veg oil
dash black pepper
2 medium potatoes cubed (I like Yukon gold’s creaminess)

*3 tablespoons water for cooking the curry.

First up, we need to wash, clean and trim the seim (see video at the bottom of the post). Using a sharp pairing knife, strip the edges off the seim, then cut into 2 pieces. The edges will not cook down and will be stringy and tough, so we must remove them. Depending on the size of your seim, cut into 2 or 4 pieces and remember to keep the peas (seeds) as well. Prepare the potato, onion, garlic and pepper so we’re good to go when we get started.

In a fairly deep saucepan, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat, then toss in the madras curry powder, stir and allow to cook for a couple minutes. Then add the sliced onion, garlic and hot pepper so they release their oils and flavor the dish. Give that another minute, then add 3 tablespoons of water and allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes on a low heat. After which you can turn up the heat and allow the curry mixture to cook down completely.(you can also make a slurry with the curry powder, garlic, onion, pepper and water and add to the heated oil as well)

When the liquid dries down and the curry paste we just made starts to get darker and stick to the bottom of the pan, add the trimmed seim, potato chunks, salt, black pepper and give it a good stir.

Next up is to add the coconut milk and water. Bring that up to a boil by raising the heat. Now reduce that to a very gentle simmer, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 30 minutes.

Remember to stir occasionally while it cooks. After 30 minutes the seim should be tender and the potato should start to melt away to form a thick sort of gravy. If there’s a lot of liquid left in the pan, raise the heat so that can burn-off. I recall my mom making this very dry (no gravy), but I do like some gravy to eat with my roti or rice.

I just so happened to have some buss up shut roti in  he freezer which I reheated, along with some mango kuchela to round off my meal. This recipe should be enough for four people as a side dish in case you’re wondering.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Over the years I’ve grown very fond of vegetarian type dishes and if you recall, back in July of last year (wow it’s been almost a year) I shared a recipe for cooking French beans in coconut milk. Today we’re using the same beans (is there a difference between French and string beans?), except they’re called string beans in the Caribbean and we’ll be giving it that added “kick” of flavour with some madras curry powder. In case you’re wondering, YES there is a difference in the curry you get in the Caribbean as compared to the ones from India.

There are 2 things you can add to this dish to make a bit different. 1 You can add some coconut milk to it instead of the water mentioned in the ingredients list. 2. By adding some shredded pieces of salted cod (dry) it gives the dish another level of flavour. But trust-me, the recipe below will amaze you and anyone you share it with.

You’ll Need…

1 lb string beans (French beans)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 hot pepper (habanero, scotch bonnet or any of your faves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 onion sliced
4 gloves garlic grated or crushed
3 tablespoon water to mix the curry
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup water

* My choice for curry powder has always been the “Raja Jahan Special Madras Curry” which you can easily get at any Caribbean food store if you live outside Trinidad and Tobago or online at Amazon.com.

Start by washing the beans and allow to drain. The next step is to remove both ends (stems) and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. For faster cooking time I usually then slice these 1 1/2 inch pieces down the middle (see pic below) using a pairing knife. But you don’t have to do this step if you don’t feel like it.

In a saucepan put the oil to heat on medium heat and add 1/2 of the onion and allow to cook for a couple minutes. Then take the curry powder and put it in a bowl with the 3 tablespoon of water (mix around). Then pour that into the pan and stir. Allow that to cook for a minute, then add the rest of the sliced onion, grate the garlic into the pan (or crush) and add the slice of hot pepper. Cook that for a few minutes until most of the liquid dries off, then add the sliced beans and stir around.

Stir thoroughly, add the salt and cook for a few minutes before adding the 3/4 cup of water. Once you add the water, turn down the heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir about3-4 times during the cooking process.

The finished dish will not be as brilliant green as when you first started and please try to burn off all the liquid that we added. This is great with roti (sada and buss up shut) as well as rice and even breads. And there’s no reason why it can’t be a side dish at your next family dinner. Healthy and tasty, you just can’t beat this one.

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WIN NEW CONTEST WIN

Special thanks to everyone who participated in last month’s contest. The winner was announce earlier today, so we’d like to hear from you if you were the winner so we know where to ship the prize.

For the month of May, the best month in the year (I’m a Taurus) I want to give one lucky contestant a KitchenAid Santoku Knife. All you have to do is leave me a comment below about the recipe, about the blog in general or just say hello. Then your name is automatically entered to win. It’s that simple. Here’s a pic of the knife I’ll personally ship out to you (I’ll cover all shipping charges as well).

Bring this new trend into your kitchen with this KitchenAid 7-inch Santoku knife with a cushioned non-slip silicone handle. Originally used by Japanese chefs, this knife offers the benefits of a cleaver with the control of a lighter knife. The handle is made from Dupont Delrin and has a comfortable grip with a fully contoured handle, which is easy on the hand with a rounded soft blade back. The strong, durable blade is made from a high-carbon stainless steel. The bolster has proper balance and control with full tang construction.

The fine print.

- this contest is open to everyone globally

- all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you’ll be automatically entered to win

- feel free to get the other members in your house to enter

- if you’ve already won something from Caribbeanpot.com we’d appreciate it if you gave others a chance to win and refrain from entering.

- there’s no need to buy anything to enter

- the knife is valued at $25.95 and we’ll cover the shipping cost to you.

- this contest end May 31, 2010 and the winner will be announced within 5 days of the close date.

Friends, I encourage you to leave me a comment below and wait for the email at the end of the month saying if you’re a winner or not. It’s that simple.

Good Luck

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If anyone would like to sponsor the monthly contest, feel free to contact me. This is a great opportunity to get some exposure for your business or service.