last updated on October 29, 2026

This recipe has a special place in my heart. Back when I was on my mission I had limited funds and very, very limited time for cooking. We were able to shop once a week and had no access to the internet. And man alive these restrictions made cooking hard. I would always open the fridge, stare at its near-emptiness, then open the pantry and strain my brain for what I could possibly combine.

Sometimes these attempts were not too successful, but sometimes I ran into a combination that made all the futile attempts worth it. These green beans were one of them. One time my sweet angel mama sent me a package that had a tub of massaman curry paste in it and the heavens sang. I love massaman curry paste. It has such a great flavor and is not overwhelmingly spicy. And the combination with the freshness and crunch of green beans is wonderful.

When I first made these I would just combine the massaman paste with some oil and mix them with the beans, but since then the sauce has developed a little more. This sauce has cashews as the base, which gives it a creamy texture. Then of course it also has the curry paste, and has lime juice, ginger, etc etc.

The sauce can be used as a dipping sauce, but the way I like it best is to put the sauce on the green beans for their last few minutes of cooking so the sauce is directly on the beans and gets a little crispy. It is oh so good.

So next time you look in your fridge and all you have is green beans and if you happen to have a tub of massaman curry paste that your angel mom sent you, then make these green beans. Or if you don’t have green beans and curry paste on hand, then go out and get some. Right now. RIGHT NOW. Okay, take your time, but make them eventually.

Massaman Green Beans

INGREDIENTS:

• one pound fresh green beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 2 tbsp massaman curry paste
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Put raw cashews in a bowl with hot water and let sit for 20 minutes before starting to cook.

In a wok or frying pan, heat up the olive oil and add the green beans. Sautè until cooked but still crunchy, about 7 minutes. While the beans are cooking, drain cashews and put them in a blender or food processor. Then add curry paste, lime juice, ginger and water, and pulse until smooth. Add two large spoonfuls of the sauce to the green beans and toss until well coated. Let the green beans continue to cook until the sauce begins to crisp up. Remove from the heat.

ENJOY.