Fresh Valor Papdi bean (Indian Green Flat Beans) 500g

Fresh valor papdi, 500g — the flat green Indian bean also called sem phali, avarekai, mochai and chikkudukaya, and in German Plattbohnen or flache Bohnen.

The pods are broad and flat with a distinctive, slightly bitter-sweet taste that sets them apart from ordinary green beans, and the seeds inside turn soft and starchy when cooked. Gujarati kitchens use them in undhiyu and valor nu shaak; Karnataka cooks them as avarekai uppittu and saaru; Andhra makes chikkudukaya curry with them.

String the pods along both edges before cooking — mature ones have a tough thread — and cook them through rather than leaving them crunchy, since undercooked valor stays bitter. Keep refrigerated in a bag and use within three to four days.