Being brought up in Kenya we used to have a lot of fresh hyacinth beans aka Valor. We don’t get it a lot in the UK however we do have Edamame beans and with them, you can make great curries. The texture and taste are similar to Valor. Generally, during wedding seasons you find this on the menu and it is a delicious curry.
My mum recently used up some frozen edamame beans to make a curry and it went down a treat. I spent a few hours in the kitchen with her to recreate them and am excited to share them with you. Be warned…they are so delicious and you may need to stock up on some Edamame Beans.
Similar to “valor”, edamame beans have a creamy texture, are packed with proteins and have a delicate flavour.
The ingredients for both dishes are similar with the exception of tomatoes and hing.
Tomato Based Edamame Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil
- 500g frozen edamame beans
- 90g sliced red onions
- 1 tsp ajwain seeds (carom seeds)
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1/2 tsp crushed ginger
- 1 tsp crushed green chilli
- 250ml tomato passata
- 2.5 tsp dhana jiru (ground roasted cumin & coriander seeds)
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Method
- Heat a pan then add the oil. Once this is hot, add in 1 tsp ajwain. They should sizzle for about 30 seconds before adding in the sliced onions
- Let the onions cook on low heat until they are translucent. You don’t want them brown
- Add in the ginger, garlic and green chillies and mix
- Cook for a couple of minutes then add the tomatoes
- Cook the tomatoes on low heat until the oil separates around the edges
- Now add in the dhana jiru, chilli powder, salt, turmeric and garam masala.
- Let this cook on low heat for about 10 minutes to get a richer well-flavoured sauce.
- Add in the frozen edamame beans, mix and add in 2 cups of boiling water.
- Mix again then cover and let this cook for an hour and a half so the sauce thickens a bit and beans soften.
- Add in fresh coriander, stir and serve with fresh rotli.





Dry Edamame Curry
Ingredients
- 700 g of Frozen edamame beans
- 5 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 200g onion
- 1/4tsp asafetida/ hing
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1 tsp crushed green chillies
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 heaped tsp dhana jiru
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Method
- Place the edamame beans in a bowl and add boiling water to cover the beans. About 10 minutes later drain the water then peel the beans. They should come off easily.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Add in the ajwain when oil is hot then add in onions, hing, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Mix it all and cook for a couple of minutes
- Now add in salt, dhana jiru, turmeric powder, red chilli and garam masala. Stir it all and cook for a couple of minutes
- Add in the peeled edamame beans
- Stir then add in enough boiling water to cover the beans.
- Cover the pan and let this cook on low heat for about 45 minutes. They cook quicker without the peels.
- Keep an eye out for the water to ensure the beans don’t dry out and burn.
- Sprinkle with coriander and serve with rice and khadhi or eat it on its own with a drizzle of olive oil






Hope you get to enjoy these curries as much as me and my family do. Here are some other curries you can try.
They definitely make Edamame Beans more interesting to enjoy. For those who miss Valor Nu Shak, try this out and let me know what you think. If you have any questions, send me a message.
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