Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry
This easy vegan sweet potato and green bean curry is loaded with nutritious vegetables, lentils and creamy coconut milk. Make it with your favourite curry paste and enjoy a meal that’s not only quick to prepare but needs surprisingly few ingredients.
I always try to grow a few green beans each year. There’s nothing quite like picking a few and throwing them straight into the pot. You can’t get much fresher than that. This year it’s French beans and this recipe is a good one for late summer and autumn whilst they’re still productive.
Dive Right In
- Why This Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry Recipe Works
- Quick and Easy Green Bean and Sweet Potato Curry
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- Which Curry Paste To Use
- How To Make Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry
- Other Green Bean Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
Why This Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry Recipe Works
- Curry paste does the heavy lifting – Using a good-quality curry paste gives the curry plenty of flavour without needing a long list of spices and aromatics.
- Sweet potato brings natural sweetness and substance – It becomes tender and velvety as it cooks, while adding enough bulk to make the curry satisfying.
- Green beans add freshness and texture – Their slight bite contrasts nicely with the softer sweet potato and lentils, so the curry doesn’t become one gloopy, homogenous mixture.
- Lentils make it more nutritious – They add plant-based protein, fibre and a lovely earthy note, while helping to turn the curry into a substantial meal.
- Coconut milk creates a rich, creamy sauce – It mellows the spices and brings all the ingredients together without the need of dairy.
- It’s quick despite tasting like a slow-cooked curry – Because the curry paste provides so much of the flavour, there’s no need to spend ages frying or building up layers of spices.
Quick and Easy Green Bean and Sweet Potato Curry
I do love a curry, and one that you can get on the table in half an hour with the minimum of fuss is just perfect for midweek meals and busy times. This green bean and sweet potato curry is not only quick and easy to make, but it’s nutritious and has a surprising amount of flavour. Just what you need when you’re feeling tired.
Lentils and cashew nuts provide protein and these, together with a hefty dose of veg, give oodles of fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and more. It’s a satisfying as well as a tasty meal for sure.
Fresh coriander (cilantro) and roasted cashews finish it off beautifully, giving both flavour and crunch, which contrasts nicely with the creamy curry. Serve it with rice or your favourite flatbreads for a complete meal.
Any leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple of days or the freezer for a couple of months.
Ingredients, Additions and Substitutions
As you can see from the image below, you really don’t need many ingredients for this recipe. The vegetables and lentils make up the bulk of the dish.
Green Beans
I’ve used French beans this time, but runner beans, purple trail of tears or yellow haricot beans work just as well.
To ring the changes or out of season, simply swap the green beans for broccoli, spinach or kale. You may need to add them slightly later in the cooking process though.
Sweet Potato
You can use any type of sweet potato you like in this recipe. They all have their benefits. Sweet potatoes are power houses of fibre and nutrition and will add more than just sweetness and bulk to your meal.
If you like, you can swap the sweet potato for squash.
Lentils
Red split lentils are the ones to use for this recipe. Because they’re split and the skins have been removed, they take very little time to cook. They also break down and help thicken the sauce, which is just what’s wanted.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk plays an important part in this curry, which has so few ingredients. So try to use the best coconut milk you can find. A watery one won’t really give you the flavour boost you need, nor the expected creaminess.
My favourite comes from Buy Whole Foods Online. It’s super creamy and organic, though not cheap of course. I buy tins in bulk (and usually when there’s an offer on), which makes them a bit cheaper.
Aromatics
Curry paste (see next section) provides much of the flavour in this curry and there isn’t really a need for anything else. However lime juice cuts through the richness of the coconut milk and balances the sweetness of the potato. Generally, it just brightens everything up. How much you add will depend on how acidic your curry paste is though.
Coriander leaves (cilantro) go so well with Southeast Asian flavours that a decent amount scattered over the top of the curry really enhances it. However, if coriander isn’t your thing, swap it for parsley, or even basil, instead.
Nuts
Cashew nuts are another food that goes really well with Southeast Asian curries. They not only add protein, but give crunch and flavour too. Just roast them first.
If you buy ready roasted cashews, it’s probably best to go for unsalted or you might not taste anything else.
Which Curry Paste To Use
A good quality curry paste makes for a quick and easy homemade curry with its ability to deliver complex flavours without requiring a long list of individual spices. There’s a massive choice on the market and it’s a lot easier than it used to be to find flavoursome varieties that contain nothing more than the ingredients you’d probably use at home anyway.
If you have a blender, it’s also quite easy to make your own. It’s often more satisfying too. Most homemade curry pastes will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, but you can also freeze them in ice cube trays where they’ll keep for a couple of months or so.
This sweet potato and green bean curry recipe is particularly suited to Southeast Asian flavours where curry pastes are traditionally used. Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and some parts of India all have their own take.
Use your favourite curry paste, or try something different. Thai green curry paste is always a winner. I used a yellow Malay curry paste this time, but I’ve tried several now and they’ve all worked well. A yellow curry paste has the advantage of bringing out the colours in the sweet potato and lentils.
Alternatively, use your favourite curry powder with a little extra oil. If going down this route, you won’t need to use nearly as much. One tablespoon should be plenty.
Top Tip – If buying curry paste, check the labels to ensure they’re plant based, some may contain fish sauce or shrimp.
How To Make Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry
Although a few steps are required to make this sweet potato and green bean curry, hands on time is fairly minimal. You don’t need to be hovering over the stove the whole time.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking times, measurements and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Soak Lentils
In theory you don’t need to soak lentils, especially split red lentils which don’t take long to cook. But from a wellbeing point of view, it’s generally better for the gut if you soak them before cooking. I’ve always done this with pulses and friends and family don’t seem to find my meals hard to digest.
Soaking also has the benefit of reducing the time required for cooking. It’s particularly useful if your lentils are old.
So, I leave it to you, but if you can, I’d suggest soaking them for a minimum of one hour in warm water or cold water if you can manage longer. Anything up to twelve hours is fine.
Once soaked, rinse the lentils a few times until the water is almost clear, then drain through a sieve before using.
Step 2. Prepare Veg
Peel and halve the onion, then slice it into half moons.
Scrub the sweet potatoes, but there’s no need to peel them. Remove the woody ends, then cut into bite-sized chunks. I do this bit whilst the onions are frying.
Rinse the beans, then remove the tops only. I was always taught to remove the tails too, but that’s not at all necessary and I haven’t done it for years. The easiest way to do this is to line up a bunch of beans and take the tops off all in one go.
Chop them into short sticks of about three to four centimetres (one and a half inches).
Top Tip – If you’re using runner beans, ensure there are no stringy bits. If they’re young they’ll be fine, but older ones often needs the sides removing. Spoiling a meal because of stringy bits is such a shame.
Wash the coriander leaves, then remove the stems. Roughly chop both, keeping them in two distinct piles.
Step 3. Cook Curry
Heat the oil in a large wide, lidded pan over a moderate heat. Add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes or until translucent.
Add the sweet potato chunks to the pan and fry for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Spoon the curry paste into the pan and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. How much you use will depend on the strength of the paste and how strong or mild you like your curries.
Add the salt and coconut milk to the pan. Half fill the empty tin with water, swish it around to gather any leftover coconut milk, then pour into the pan.
Drain the lentils and add to the pan, then bring to the boil.
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for five minutes, then add the beans along with the chopped coriander stems. Give a good stir.
Simmer for a further 10-15 minutes or until the veg is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Squeeze in half the lime juice and stir. Taste test at this point and add more salt or lime juice, if and as required. How much lime juice you need will depend on the acidity of your curry paste. I used the whole lime.
Step 4. Roast Nuts and Serve
Whilst the curry is cooking, roast the cashew nuts at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, gas 4) in an oven or air fryer for approximately eight minutes until golden. As you can see from my image, I rather overdid mine, so be careful.
Scatter the nuts and coriander over the top of the curry and serve with rice or warmed flatbreads. Alternatively, portion into individual bowls before topping with the nuts and coriander.
Other Green Bean Recipes You Might Like
- Cypriot vegetable stew
- Gado gado: Indonesian vegetable salad
- Green beans with almonds & crème fraîche
- Korean glass noodles
- Pesto green beans
- Spicy peanut butter noodles with green beans
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this sweet potato and green bean curry, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making curry pastes?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I really enjoy seeing your take on my recipes.
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If you’d like more sweet potato recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Sweet Potato Green Bean Curry. PIN IT.
Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral tasting frying oil
- 1 large onion finely sliced into half moons
- 1 sweet potato medium to large or 2 small ones – scrubbed
- 3-4 tbsp curry paste of your choice
- 400 g tinned coconut milk
- 100 g split red lentils soaked for at least an hour
- 225 g green beans topped but not tailed
- ½ tsp salt (or more) will depend on how salty the curry paste is
- 1 lime juiced
- 60 g cashew nuts roasted until golden
- 1 small bunch coriander leaves (cilantro) roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large lidded pan over a moderate heat. Add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes or until translucent.2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 large onion
- Chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks and add to the pan. Fry for five minutes, stirring occasionally.1 sweet potato
- Add the curry paste and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. How much you use will depend on the strength of the paste and how strong or mild you like your curries.3-4 tbsp curry paste
- Add the salt and coconut milk to the pan. Half fill the empty tin with water (200ml / 1 cup), swish it around to gather any leftover coconut milk, then pour into the pan.400 g tinned coconut milk, ½ tsp salt
- Drain the lentils and add to the pan, then bring to the boil.100 g split red lentils
- Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for five minutes, then slice the beans into 3-4 cm (1-1½ inch) lengths and add to the pan. At the same time roughly chop any stems on the coriander and add those too. Give a good stir.225 g green beans
- Simmer for a further 10-15 minutes or until the veg is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan. Squeeze in half the lime juice (if using) and stir. Taste test at this point and add more salt or lime juice if and as required.
- Scatter the nuts and coriander over the top and serve with rice or warmed flatbreads. Alternatively, portion into individual bowls before topping with the nuts and coriander.60 g cashew nuts, 1 small bunch coriander leaves (cilantro)