Recipes
South Africa

Curried Green Beans (Kerrieboontjies)

A traditional Afrikaner side dish — green beans in a sweet-tangy curry sauce.

Ingredients

  • 500g green beans, trimmed and cut
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt & pepper

Method

  1. 1

    Blanch green beans in boiling water for 3–4 minutes. Drain and set aside.

  2. 2

    Sauté onion and garlic in oil. Add curry powder and turmeric.

  3. 3

    Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thick and syrupy.

  4. 4

    Add green beans and toss to coat in sauce.

  5. 5

    Serve warm or chilled; flavours develop overnight.

Swaps & variations

  • Add mustard seeds
  • Add chilli for heat
  • Add potatoes for a thicker stew
  • Make a sweet-and-sour version with apricot jam

Storing & freezing

Keeps 5 days refrigerated. Freezes well for up to 2 months.

Grow it yourself

  • Green Beans: Sow in warm soil (late spring–summer); provide support for climbing types; beans fix nitrogen; avoid overwatering
  • Onions: Plant early spring or autumn; full sun
  • Garlic: Plant in winter and mulch well; good drainage required
  • Mustard Seeds: Mustard greens grow quickly in cool weather; allow plants to flower and set seed
  • Marigolds repel nematodes in bean beds
  • Spray garlic-chilli water for beetles
  • Encourage ladybirds to control aphids
  • Rotate beans to prevent soil-borne diseases
  • Green Beans: Harvest when pods are slender and seeds barely visible; regular picking encourages more beans
  • Onions & Garlic: Harvest when tops fall over and dry

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