Categories: Recipes

Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry in a coconut sauce

Recently our offices moved to a new venue and we learnt that the building has been used in one of Harry Potter’s movies.   The inside of the building is not open to public  but you could be walking past the Ministry of Magic without even realising it!  If you want to see some of  Potter-related attractions in London, you won’t have to look very far. The Strawberry Tours organise several free walking tours round London and the Harry Potter tour is one of them.  All you need to do is reserve your place online. At the end of the tour you can choose how to reward the guide, if you wish to do so, depending on how much you enjoyed the walk.  Do take advantage of these free walking tours as its a great way to explore London.  There is also a free London food tour where you can enjoy food from all over the World (especially Indian food) at affordable prices.

Sweet potato is one of my favourite vegetables and in this recipe I add green beans and coconut milk  to make it interesting.  The sweetness of the potatoes with the coconut gravy makes this a perfect curry to have with Jeera rice.

Jump to Recipe

Ingredients for 4 servings :

  • 2 tbsps of cooking oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1-2 small chillies (green or red is fine)
  • Small bunch of coriander
  • 5cm piece of ginger
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp of coriander powder
  • 1 tsp of cumin powder
  • 400 mls tin of coconut milk
  • ½ can of tomatoes
  • 2 small sweet potatoes or 1 big one
  • 100g of green beans
  • 1 tbsp of cornflour (optional only needed if the sauce isn’t thick)
  • 1 tbls lemon juice
  • 1 tbls brown sugar (optional)

Method:

  1. Wash and chop the sweet potatoes. Peel them if you wish.  Wash and prepare the green beans by cutting the two ends and then cutting them into 3-4 pieces.  Chop the Onions finely and prepare the ginger by peeling and grating it, prepare the garlic by peeling it and blending  it using a garlic press.  For the chilies – just slice it into two so it’s easy to remove them at the end if you wish.

2. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds go brown, add the chopped onions, chilies and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.

3.  Add the coconut milk and keep stirring until it comes to a boil.

4.  Reduce heat and add the sweet potatoes, salt, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder, the ginger and garlic. Cook this for 5-6 minutes. Check if you need to add any extra water.

5.  Now add the tomatoes and green beans and allow to cook until both the beans and potatoes soften. If the sauce is very thin just mash a couple of pieces of the sweet potatoes and this will thicken the sauce. Once the sauce is of the right consistency, add the lemon juice and sugar and taste.

6. Garnish with coriander and curry leaves and serve it hot with rice or Naan bread.

Here are some more curry recipes you may wish to  try out:

Print

Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry in a coconut sauce

Sweet potato is one of my favourite vegetables and in this recipe I add green beans and coconut milk  to make it interesting.  The sweetness of the potatoes with the coconut gravy makes this a perfect curry to have with Jeera rice.

Course curry, Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Sri Lankan
Keyword curry, Indian food
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Mina Joshi

Ingredients

  • 2 tbls cooking oil

  • 1 onion

  • 1-2 small chilies (green or red is fine)

  • Small bunch of coriander

  • 2 inches piece of ginger

  • 2-3 cloves of garlic

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • Salt to taste

  • 1 tsp turmeric powder

  • 1 tsp coriander powder

  • 1 tsp cumin powder

  • 400 mls tin of coconut milk

  • ½ can tomatoes

  • 2 small sweet potatoes or 1 big one

  • 100 gms green beans

  • 1 tbls lemon juice

  • 1 tbls brown sugar (optional)

Instructions

  • Wash and chop the sweet potatoes. Peel them if you wish.  Wash and prepare the green beans by cutting the two ends and then cutting them into 3-4 pieces.  Chop the Onions finely and prepare the ginger by peeling and grating it, prepare the garlic by peeling it and blending  it using a garlic press.  For the chilies – just slice it into two so it’s easy to remove them at the end if you wish.

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds go brown, add the chopped onions, chilies and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.

  • Add the coconut milk and keep stirring until it comes to a boil.

  • Reduce heat and add the sweet potatoes, salt, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder, the ginger and garlic. Cook this for 5-6 minutes. Check if you need to add any extra water.

  • Now add the tomatoes and green beans and allow to cook until both the beans and potatoes soften. If the sauce is very thin just mash a couple of pieces of the sweet potatoes and this will thicken the sauce. Once the sauce is of the right consistency, add the lemon juice and sugar and taste.

  • Garnish with coriander and curry leaves and serve it hot with rice or Naan bread.

If  you have a hunger for Authentic Vegetarian Food then subscribe to my blog and receive delectable recipes and new Innovative foodie updates! Hungry for more Vegetarian Tips ? LIKE us on facebook,  Follow us on Twitter,  Pinterest and Instagram.  All the recipes are with step by step instructions and photographs and all of them have been tried, tested, easy to cook and delicious.

If you are interested in one to one or group cookery lessons, or any corporate team building events  – email me on givemesomespice@gmail.com for more information.  

Mina Joshi

I am a busy working mum who aims to make quick and healthy authentic vegetarian and vegan dishes for my family. I am also a face to face and online cookery teacher, recipe developer, restaurant and product reviewer. I share all recipes with step by step instructions.

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

How Is Everyone’s Veganuary Going?

Everyone must be asking you by now about your veganuary journey. So how is it going? By now, some of…

19 January 2026

What People Are Afraid Of When Cooking Indian Food

When I ask this question in my cookery classes, people often laugh first — and then admit their worries. I…

15 January 2026

Why My Focus Has Shifted from Blogging to Teaching

From 2010, Give Me Some Spice was all about blogging; creating recipes, styling food, taking photos, and sharing them online.…

7 January 2026

Veganuary Made Easy: My Top Vegan Recipes

First of all, well done to everyone taking part in Veganuary — you’re doing great.  If you’re finding it a…

6 January 2026

Year 2025 Roundup

In case you’re wondering, I’m still around — my focus has simply shifted from blogging to teaching. Sharing knowledge and…

31 December 2025

3 Drinks That Taste Deliciously Boozy But Have Zero Alcohol Content

The way we interact with alcohol has changed substantially in the last decade. Many responsible drinkers like the occasional glass,…

26 March 2025