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Green beans with egg
Mtsvane lobio kvertskhit: Kartli green beans braised with herbs and folded with egg
In the villages around Gori and Mtskheta, high summer brings sacks of flat green beans, and this is how many Kartli families eat them on a weekday: slowly softened with onion, then tossed with coriander, basil and garlic and bound at the last minute with beaten egg. The result sits halfway between a warm salad and a soft scramble, eaten with a hunk of shoti bread and a few slices of cheese. A common mistake is adding the eggs while the pan is still wet with bean water; they turn watery and grey instead of clinging in golden curds. Chef's tip: Georgian cooks use purple basil (reyhan), and its clove-like scent is what makes the dish taste of home, so look for it at Turkish or Georgian grocers.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the beans
- 1 ⅛ lb green beansflat runner beans if you can find them, trimmed and cut into 4 cm lengths
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 oz butter
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
To finish
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ oz fresh corianderchopped
- ⅓ oz purple basilleaves chopped, or green basil
- ⅛ oz fresh dillchopped
- ½ tsp khmeli-suneli spice mix
- 4 eggsbeaten with a pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring a pan of water to the boil with half the ½ tsp salt. Add 1 ⅛ lb green beans and cook for 6–8 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Drain well and shake dry.
8 minStep 2: Melt 1 oz butter with 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 onion for 6–7 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges.
7 minStep 3: Add the beans and the rest of the ½ tsp salt and fry for 4 minutes, stirring, until any water has gone and the beans start to catch slightly.
4 minStep 4: Stir in 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp khmeli-suneli spice mix and most of the ½ oz fresh coriander, ⅓ oz purple basil and ⅛ oz fresh dill and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 minStep 5: Pour 4 eggs over the beans. Leave for 20 seconds, then fold gently with a spatula for 1–2 minutes, until the egg is just set in soft curds that coat the beans. Common mistake: stirring hard and long; the egg breaks into dry crumbs.
2 minStep 6: Season with ¼ tsp black pepper, scatter the remaining herbs on top and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does green beans with egg take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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