Green beans charred and topped with roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, chilli and burnt garlic. At my home in Mumbai, cooking green beans with peanuts was always a favourite and a classic recipe within the Maharashtrian community.

My base recipe is something my mother made as a ‘gawar ani shengdanyachi bhaji’; stir-fried veg, including local green beans, with crushed peanuts. I loved the idea of making it into a grilled salad that is so versatile and fresh.

You can prepare this recipe in advance and warm it through just before serving. For years, I have served this as part of many home-cooked meals. I have been asked many times for the recipe, so here it is at last!

Method

• Warm a large, dry frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and toast for 1–2 minutes, shaking the pan often. Tip the toasted sesame seeds onto a plate and set aside.

• Turn up the heat to high. Working in batches, if necessary, add the green beans to the same pan and cook for 7–8 minutes until they begin to colour and char slightly.

• Transfer the charred green beans to a plate and set aside.