bodi Archives | CaribbeanPot.com

Here’s one of those classic childhood dishes mom would make for us, served with hot Sada Roti and usually I’d reach for a bit Kuchela on the side, when we were younger and living in the Caribbean. While I did use leftover Stewed Pork in the recipe, you may use Stewed Beef, Stewed Chicken (leftovers) or keep it fully vegan should you wish.

You’ll Need…

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (sliced)
5-7 cloves garlic (smashed)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 kg string beans (washed and trimmed)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large potatoes (sliced)
1 – 1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoon coconut cream
1 cup leftover stewed pork (optional)

Notes! If making this dish gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet your specific gluten free dietary requirements. May I suggest that you use the video below to follow along as much more about the recipe is discussed there.

Prep your ingredients.

Heat the oil in a wide pan on a medium heat, then add the onion and garlic. Turn the heat down to low and cook gently for 3-4 minutes.

Add the washed and trimmed string beans (bodi and /or French beans will also work) to the pan, raise the heat to medium low and stir well.

Add the tomato, salt and black pepper, grated ginger and continue cooking on that medium low heat.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the water (I cup), coconut cream, potato and Scotch Bonnet pepper (optional – or use as much as you can handle). Place the lid on and bring to a boil. Then reduce between a simmer and rolling boil and have the lid on slightly ajar.

Tuck everything down under the water so the potato and beans get tender.

After about 20-25 minutes it should all be tender. If during the cooking process you find that it needs more liquid, add the remaining water. Add the leftover stewed pork, stir and cook until all of the liquid is gone.

Once the liquid is gone and the potato/beans are tender (about 5 minutes after adding the pork) you may taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Turn off the stove and enjoy. In my case I opted for steamed rice, but as mentioned above, I’d much prefer having Sada Roti.

How To Make Fry (stewed) Bodi.

July 10, 2023July 10, 2023Leave a Comment

While Bodi was never on my top 20 list of things mom would cook while growing up on the islands, it’s definitely grown on me in my adult years. Yes, I’ve shared MANY Bodi recipes over the last few years, but this one is as traditional and basic as it gets.. without sacrificing flavor and overall taste. Basically it’s my fave!

You’ll Need…

1 lb bodi (aka bora, yard bean, long bean)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
1 mediun tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust)
4-6 cloves garlic (smashed)

Important! There’s a full tutorial video below to follow along to make cooking this delightful vegan dish as easy as possible. Should you want a little kick, add a bit of your favorite hot pepper to the pot. If making this dish gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements.

Trim the ends of the bodi and discard, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Rinse will cool water and drain.

In a saucepan (one with a lid) on a medium flame, add the olive oil, followed by the diced onion. Stir, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the garlic and black pepper.

Cook for a further 3 minutes (lower the heat if you find that the garlic is starting to burn), then add the prepared bodi. Stir well to coat with that flavored oil.

Turn the heat up to medium, add the diced tomato and place the lid on the pan. If you wanted to add any spicy pepper, here is where I’d recommend you do. After about 3 minutes you should see it starting to boil (yes it will release it’s own juices along with the steam liquid). Turn the heat down to medium/low again and cook with the lid on. Should the pan be dry, add 1/4 cup of water.

After about 20 minutes (be sure to stir every 5 minutes or so) it’s time to personalize things a bit. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking and then decide if the Bodi is as tender as you like. I removed the lid and cooked with the lid off for a further 5 minutes as I wanted things a bit dry, rather than with any juices on the bottom.

Usually mom would cook it until it just starts falling apart, but I like the slight texture from cooking it my way. No she does NOT need to know this.

For extra flavor you may add 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger and the odd time I would also add a teaspoon of Hoisin Sauce to the pot. The two ways I enjoy this fry (fried) bodi is with Sada Roti or as a simple topping for hot rice.

Gluten Free Seafood

Bodi (Yard Beans, Bora or Green Beans) With Shrimp.

May 28, 2025October 13, 20211 Comment

We always had Bodi (aka Bora, Yard Beans or Snake Beans) growing in our little kitchen garden at the back of the house when I was growing up on the islands. Over the years I’ve not only come to enjoy this bean (wasn’t a fan as a child), but I’ve found different ways to prepare them (courtesy of my other Caribbean cousins). Should you have problems sourcing Bodi, green or French beans will work as well.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs Bodi (prepared)
1 cup dried shrimp
1 medium onion (sliced)
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
1 pimento pepper (sliced)
1/3 teaspoon salt
5-10 grape tomatoes (any tomato will work) – cut in half

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

To prep the Bodi, remove the stem and bottom tips (discard), then cut into even length pieces (about 4-5 cm).

I washed the prepped Bodi and had it in water to remain fresh as I worked on the other ingredients.

Heat the oil in a pot that has a lid on a medium flame, add the garlic and toss in the dried shrimp and black pepper.. then lower the heat to as low as it will go and cook gently so we don’t burn the garlic.

Cook for about three minutes, then add the Bodi (drain if it’s been soaking in water), turn up the heat to medium and stir well to coat the pieces of Bodi with that lovely garlic, shrimp perfumed olive oil.

Now go in with the water, Scotch Bonnet Pepper, salt and Pimento Pepper. Stir well and bring to a simmer. As soon a you get a simmer going, turn the heat to low and place the lid on the pot.

Twenty-five minutes later, taste it for salt (adjust), toss in the tomato (I had grape tomatoes at my disposal, but any tomato will work).

Turn the stove off, put the lid on and let the residual heat finish cooking the tomato. Serve warm with hot Sada Roti or steamed rice.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

French Beans With Leftover Caribbean Stewed Pork.

May 27, 2025March 5, 20151 Comment

Between spinach and beans it would be very difficult for me to decide which I adore more. The edge would probably go to beans simply because as a young fella on the islands I would help my parents grow different varieties in our kitchen garden. I hated pulling out the weeds, but I did enjoy harvesting them.. each bean picked off the bushes were like little prizes to my collection in the basket. Mom would normally make this dish for us whenever she would make stewed pork the evening before for dinner and had leftovers. If you’d like to make this dish vegetarian, simply leave out the stewed pork and for more flavor use coconut milk instead of the water mentioned in the ingredient list.

You’ll Need…

1.5 lbs French beans (any green bean will work)
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Olive oil
Hot pepper (I used wiri wiri)
1 cup water (or coconut milk if making this vegetarian)
left over stewed pork

* If making this dish gluten free, do go through the entire list of ingredients (including the stewed pork) to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Trim the beans, wash and drain. Chop the onion, mince the garlic and get ready to rock one of the tastiest french beans dish you’ve ever had. Heat the oil in a wide pan on a low heat, then add the garlic, onion, thyme and black pepper. Allow it to go for about 3 minutes, so we start with a lovely flavor base.

You will notice that I opted for a Guyanese favorite, wiri wiri peppers for this recipe but you can use any (or none) hot pepper you like. You’ll also notice that I added them whole and never cut or burst them, as we want flavor and not raw heat.

Turn up the heat and add the beans, stir well and go in with the salt and whole peppers. Lastly, add the water and bring to a boil.

When it comes to a boil turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes (this depends on how well-done you like your beans). Then add the pieces of stewed pork to the pot, mix well and turn the heat up to burn off any excess liquid which may still be in the pot. Once the liquid is gone, turn off the stove and you’re done. If adjusting the salt in this dish, do so ONLY after tasting it AFTER adding the stewed pork. Since the pork would have already been salted perfectly, you don’t want to salt before adding it to the pot.

I like my beans with a slight crunch to them, so I usually allow them to cook for about 8-10 minutes before I ad the stewed pork. Do remember to remove the peppers before serving and try your best to not break them during cooking.. well, unless you want that lovely kick from the heat. If you don’t have stewed pork, you can go in with stewed chicken or stewed beef with basically the same results as this version.

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Vegetarian Stir Fry Bodi (yard beans) With Cashews.

November 17, 2014August 5, 2014Leave a Comment

As a young fella on the islands, my brother and I usually helped mom with the kitchen garden after school and on the weekends. I enjoyed seeing plants go from seeds to actually bearing fruit and harvest time was usually my favorite. Picking bodi (yard beans) off the bush (grows on a vine-like bush) was like a treasure hunt and it didn’t hurt that I LOVE beans of all shape and form. So the meals which would follow the time spent harvesting, was a glorious time for me. Traditionally mom did this one of two ways, in a curry or stewed with some sort of leftover meat or bits of salted cod. But in this recipe I’ll show you another take on cooking bodi (or any green bean).

You’ll Need…

1 lb Bodi (aka yard beans)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tomato diced
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic (finely diced)
1/4 teaspoon ginger (grated)
1/2 cup cashews (raw)
1 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 cup water
Fresh ground black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 teaspoon oyster sauce

* Taste for salt near the end and adjust as the soy and oyster sauce may have enough salt to season this dish. I used oyster sauce in this recipe, so please visit your local Chinese grocers for a vegetarian option if you want to make this 100% vegetarian. If you cannot get bodi, feel free to use string beans or french beans, but note that they may cook faster than bodi. Be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce and oyster sauce if cooking this according to a gluten free diet.

Prep the yard beans by trimming off the ends, then cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces. Wash and drain. Dice the onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper – remember to wash your hands after handling the scotch bonnet, don’t use any seeds and only use as much as you can handle. The recipe works fine without it as well. (I grated the ginger)

Heat the oil on a medium flame, then toss in the garlic, onion and ginger… lower the heat to low and let this gently cook for about 3 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium and then go in with the trimmed bodi pieces, stir well, then add all the other ingredients (except the tomato) and add the water. Bring to a boil and cook on a medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, then go in with the cashews. Stir well.

Here’s where it’s up to you to personalize the dish a bit… taste for salt and determine how tender you like your beans. If you like it really tender you may need to add a bit more water and cook for an extra 5 minutes or so. As you turn off the heat toss in the diced tomato to brighten up the overall stir-fry. The residual heat from the pan will be enough to cook the tomato enough (so it’s not melted away).

If you didn’t already know, Chinese immigrants (as contract laborers) came to the Caribbean over a century ago (between 1853 and 1879), so you’ll find many of our dishes are heavily influenced by their delicious contributions.

I do hope you give this bodi stirfry with cashews a try as the flavors and texture is simply stunning.

Gluten Free Seafood

Bodi Stewed In Coconut Milk And Salted Cod.

May 28, 2025November 16, 20131 Comment

As a young fella on the islands I fondly remember helping our mom pick (harvest) the mature bodi (bora, long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, pea bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean) which grew on the bamboo branches our dad would place next to the plants for the vine to spread. Something about the long beans cascading down like lengthened streams of water falling from the heavens attracted my attention. Especially when we had a good crop and the beans were the length of long shoe laces. However you had to be careful when picking the bodi when there were still flowers on the vine, as they attracted bees who did their thing pollinating so we could have a continuous crop.

If you can’t source bodi (bora in Guyana) french beans, string beans or any of your favorite green beans will work for this recipe. The one thing you will have to note though is the cooking time for the beans you select. Bodi is a bit tough so it takes about 5-10 minutes longer to cook than other beans.

You’ll Need…

1 bundle bodi (about 1lb)
3 cloves garlic (diced)
2 tablespoon olive oil (veg oil works great as well)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 medium onion (sliced)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (any spicy pepper)
dash black pepper
1 cup shredded salted cod
8 cherry tomatoes

* Prep salted fish – soak – boil – drain and shred – please use boned salted fish for less work. Click here >> How To Prepare Salted Fish <<< to learn how to prepare saltfish for use. IMPORTANT: IF doing this recipe gluten free do go through the ingredient list to make sure it meets with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Heat the oil on a medium heat, then add the salted fish and cook on low for about 3 minutes to create a lovely base of flavour. Then add the garlic and onion and cook for another 3 minutes on low heat. Stir well.

While this cook wash the bodi, then trim off about 1/4 inch off both ends and discard. Now cut them into 1 – 1.5 inch pieces.

Turn the heat up to medium/high, add the trimmed bodi as well as the other ingredients (except the tomatoes) and bring to a simmer.

Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for about 20 minutes. After-which remove the lid, taste for salt (adjust accordingly to your taste) and turn the heat up to burn off all excess liquid.Should not have any liquid when done.

You will notice that the bodi will not have the brilliant green color you started off with (normal) and you can personalize this by cooking to the consistency you like as I know many people who like their beans with a little crunch to them. Add the tomato (toss), turn the heat off and cover the pot. The residual heat will gently cook the tomato.

If you want to make this fully vegetarian you can leave out the salted fish and start by gently cooking the onion and garlic and proceed from there (for extra flavor you can add a vegetable stock cube). And remember if you can’t source bodi, you can use your favorite green bean with great results. To stretch this dish for more people you can add some cubed potato, but do remember to adjust the amount of salt you add.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

bodi

Delicious String Bean Recipe You Need To Try.

How To Make Fry (stewed) Bodi.

Bodi (Yard Beans, Bora or Green Beans) With Shrimp.

French Beans With Leftover Caribbean Stewed Pork.

Vegetarian Stir Fry Bodi (yard beans) With Cashews.

Bodi Stewed In Coconut Milk And Salted Cod.

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