Trinidad Curry Bodi: Simple Curried Long Beans Recipe

Curry bodi is a very simple breakfast or lunch side dish in T&T.

It is made with Chinese long beans (called bodi), onion, garlic and seasonings all cooked in a thick curry sauce.

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What is in this curry bodi recipe

For this recipe, you will need:

  • bodi (also called Chinese long beans and asparagus beans)
  • onion
  • garlic
  • curry powder (like the Chief brand which contains coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, salt, fennel, mustard and chilies)
  • Caribbean green seasoning
  • salt
  • pepper
  • oil

There are a few optional ingredients you can add too:

  • tomatoes
  • potatoes (also called aloo)

If potatoes are added to this dish, it becomes curry bodi and aloo, which has a thick, starchy sauce due to the addition of the potatoes.

By the way, the word ‘bodi’ is actually the Hindi name for the beans.

How to make curry bodi

Making curry bodi is similar to making other curry dishes like curry channa and aloo and curry chicken.

Prep the ingredients

Step 1: Wash the bodi, cut an inch off both ends and remove any brown bits along the bean. Then, slice each long bean into roughly 2-inch pieces. I used homegrown bodi from the garden.

Step 2: Wash, peel and dice the onions, garlic and pepper. That’s really it for prep.

Sauté the aromatics

Step 3: Place a small pot on low to medium heat and add a little vegetable oil. I like using homemade coconut oil when making bodi. The flavor often comes through in the curry.

Step 4: When the oil is nice and hot, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and pepper. Cook for another two minutes. Stir often to prevent any sticking.

saute aromatics for curry bodi

Cook the curry

Step 5: Sprinkle in the curry powder and patch for two minutes. Continue to stir often to prevent the powder and onions from sticking to the base of the pot.

add curry powder for curry bodi

You can see the curry power darkens as it cooks.

Step 6: Next, add about a quarter cup of water. Mix to form a curry slurry.

cook curry powder in slurry

Step 7: Cook down until the water boils off. This will take about two to three minutes or so.

If you plan on adding potatoes, you can cut them into small pieces and add them in at this point. Cover the pot and allow the potatoes to soften (add a little water if you need to). When the potatoes are almost soft, continue by adding the bodi.

Add the long beans

Step 8: Toss in the bodi, green seasoning and salt. Mix to coat with the curry and cover the pot. The beans will release some water which will steam and soften the bodi.

add bodi to curry

Step 9: After about three minutes or so, you can remove the cover and add water (about half cup to a cup), if you want a little sauce with your curry bodi. Cook for five to ten minutes.

add water to curry bodi

If you plan on using tomatoes, you can add them alongside the water. They also release their own liquid and cook down fully.

Serve hot alongside sada roti for breakfast. Or as a side with dhal and rice.

finished curry bodi

More recipes

Trini curry bodi recipe


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5 from 2 votes

Simple Curry Bodi Recipe

Curry bodi is a very simple breakfast or lunch side dish in T&T. It is made with Chinese long beans (called bodi), onion, garlic and seasonings all cooked in a thick curry sauce.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Caribbean, Indian
Keyword: curry bodi
Servings: 2
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Ros Singh

Ingredients

  • 200 g bodi (Chinese long beans or yardlong beans)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ – 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp Caribbean green seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  • Wash the bodi. Remove both ends and cut into 2-inch pieces.
  • Chop the onion and garlic.
  • Place a small saucepan on medium heat.
  • Add oil and allow to heat up.
  • Add onions and saute until translucent.
  • Mix in garlic and pepper.
  • Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Stir in curry powder.
  • Toast for 2 minutes.
  • Add ¼ cup of water to form a slurry.
  • Cook down until the water boils off.
  • Add the bodi, green seasoning and salt. Mix.
  • Cover and cook for three to five minutes.
  • Remove cover and add water (about ½ cup to 1 cup of water).
  • Cook until the sauce is the desired thickness (about five more minutes).

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3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love the recipe and how it was explained. I’ll be making the Curry Bodi dish today. And I’ll be looking forward to making some of the other dishes you have. Thanks

  2. 5 stars
    I’m using this for currying all different sorts of things, really good. My partner just said the kitchen smells like Trinidad 🙂 Thanks!

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