Shim (hyacinth bean) is now widely available in the markets, arriving even before winter has set in. Many dishes can be cooked with it, among them fried shim and shim curry.

You can also cook shim as a niramish, a vegetarian dish. Add potato and brinjal and you have a delicious bean niramish, and for extra flavour you can add kumra bori (sun-dried lentil and pumpkin dumplings). Here is an easy recipe.

• Shim (hyacinth bean): 100 grams
• Potatoes: 2
• Mustard oil: as needed
• Kumra bori: 4-5
• Kalojira (black cumin): half a teaspoon
• Ginger paste: 1 teaspoon
• Green chilli paste: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste
• Turmeric powder: half a teaspoon
• Cumin powder: half a teaspoon
• Chopped coriander leaves: as needed

First wash and cut the beans; you can also cook them whole if you like. Then cut the brinjal and potatoes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the bori.

Fry the cut brinjal in the same oil and lift it out, then add a little oil and temper it with kalojira.

Add the cut potatoes and stir, then add the beans and stir again.

Next mix in the ginger paste, green chilli paste, salt, turmeric powder and cumin powder. Add a little water and cook it down well.

When the potatoes are nearly done, add water for a gravy and let it boil for a while. Then add the brinjal and bori and cook for another five minutes.

Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and cook a little longer, and the bean, potato and brinjal niramish is ready.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.