Cluster Beans Recipe (Gavar Sabji)

Gavar sabji exists at an intersection between efficiency, ease, health, and, most importantly of all, flavor.

It’s a simple dish that you can whip up in less than half an hour, but it tastes like something you’ve slaved over all day!

You don’t need much to give it a go either, so even the poorly stocked kitchen will likely contain the rudiments of this meal.

And even if there are some things missing, it’s a simple enough recipe that you can improvise and still get pretty close to the real deal.

The principal ingredient is guar, or, as you are more likely to know it, the humble cluster bean.

This lightly bitter legume has a wealth of health benefits, and our recipe is the perfect vehicle for introducing them to your diet.

What Is Gavar Sabji?

“Gavar” is just one of the many names cluster beans have gathered through the years. They’re also often referred to as gawar ki phalli, guvar, and, as previously mentioned, guar.

“Sabji” is one of the labels given to a simple vegetable dish in Indian cuisine. You might also hear such meals called sabzi or subji — It all means the same thing.

Why You’re Going To Love This Recipe

Here are a few reasons why you should definitely give this gavar sabji recipe a shot.

• Gavar is unique — Cluster beans are unlike any other legume or, indeed, any other food. There’s a satisfying bitterness to them that you can either lean into or tame using a few choice ingredients.

• Good for your health — This meal is a great way to top up on fiber, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus, all while prioritizing your heart and bone health.

• Fantastic side — If you’re a roti or dal fan, you won’t find a better accompaniment than this gavar sabji. 

The unique but versatile flavor of the cluster bean elevates the more traditional flavors of these foods, making them even more enjoyable.

• It evolves from region to region — There are innumerable gavar sabji variations across India, so there’s always a little something you can try differently.

Gavar Sabji — Ingredients

Grab the following, and we can dive into the prep process…

• 1 tbsp besan (gram flour)

• 1 tsp red chili powder

• ¼ tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• ½ tsp cumin powder

• 1 ½ cups cluster beans (topped and tailed)

• 2 tbsp cooking oil (vegetable or coconut is best)

• 1 fresh green chili (finely chopped)

• ¼ tsp ajwain

• 2 cloves of garlic (minced or finely chopped)

• ½ tsp amchur powder

• ½ tsp garam masala

• Salt to taste

Making Gavar Sabji — A Step-By-Step Guide

All stocked up? Amazing, let’s begin!

• Step 1: Place your cluster beans in a colander and give them a good rinse. If there is any visible dirt on them, massage it off while holding the beans under cold running water.

• Step 2: Allow the excess water to drain away.

• Step 3: Next up, you’re going to top and tail the beans with a sharp knife. You should be left with roughly 1” middle sections. The head and tails can be discarded, and if you run into any stringy bits, you can discard those as well.

• Step 4: Pour a glass of water into a saucepan. Bring the water to a simmer, use a steamer pot or sieve to suspend your chopped cluster beans above it, then cover.

• Step 5: Steam your cluster beans until they’re visibly more tender. This can take as few as 5 minutes or as many as 8, depending on the age and quality of the beans.

In the meantime, move on to the next step.

• Step 6: The steaming of the beans presents the perfect opportunity to throw together the besan and spices you’ll be using to flavor your dish.

Grab a small mixing bowl and pour in your red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and of course, the besan.

• Step 7: Using a spoon, stir this blend until the various colors become a singular hue, then set the bowl aside.

• Step 8: Heat some oil in a pan on a medium heat, or if you have one, use a kadai. While the oil warms, chop or mince your garlic and finely chop your green chili.

Add them to the pan or kadai and sauté for approximately 30–40 seconds. You can cook for a little longer than this, but remember, garlic burns very quickly. 

We find aiming for 40 seconds max establishes a good buffer between tasty and overdone garlic.

• Step 9: Throw in your carom seeds and allow them to sizzle for 20 seconds or so.

• Step 10: Grab the bowl with your spice-flour blend and cast the contents into the pan with your garlic and green chili.

• Step 11: Mix the blend with the sautéed ingredients ASAP, and continue to stir as it cooks for between 1 and 2 minutes.

• Step 12: Pour in the steamed cluster beans you prepared earlier, add a pinch of salt, then stir well to coat the beans in the spice mix.

• Step 13: Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent any sticking.

• Step 14: Throw in both your garam masala and amchur.

• Step 15: Combine by stirring well one last time, cook for about 30 seconds, and voilà; your gavar sabji is ready to serve!

Pro Tips For Cooking Gavar Sabji

We chose to mix our spices and flour in a bowl before we began cooking, and if you’re new to these kinds of ingredients, we suggest you do the same.

It takes time to measure everything out with the spoon, and if you’re sprinkling your spices in one by one, those added to the pan first will burn by the time you get to the rest.

However, if you’re more accustomed to Indian-style cooking and you’re comfortable applying spices straight from the pot, you may just be quick enough to add them one by one, meaning you can skip the blending step in our guide.

Be careful when adding carom seeds. These things are incredibly potent, so you’ll never need more than ¼ teaspoon.

Try your hardest not to overcook the gavar. At a certain point, they become rather flavorless, and even though there are lots of spices in this recipe, the flavor of the cluster beans should still cut through.

If you’re really not a fan of the cluster bean’s bitterness, you can tone it down by adding grated coconut, jaggery, or tamarind. Boiling also works, but be careful not to overcook them.

Final Thoughts

And that’s how you make a super healthy and delicious gavar sabji. It can be served as an entrée, or if portioned appropriately, a tasty little side along with roti, dal-rice, or as part of a hearty thali.

Slightly bitter, cluster beans are sort of the coffee beans of the legume world, but just as there is with coffee, there are ways to temper the bitterness, or if you’d prefer, lean into it.

So, as unique as they are, this meal can be prepared to suit any diner.