Green Bean Makdous Recipe

Mouneh was an essential activity for the women of the household during the summer months in Damascus. Mouneh is the preservation of foods for use in winter whether using the drying, pickling, jamming or canning method.

Preparing for mouneh was a very social event where female relatives and neighbours would gather together and help sort, clean, cut, wash or stir pots of goodness, ready for preservation. Time would pass quickly, and the workload was light as the ladies would tell stories, jokes, share their problems or just partake in some harmless gossip.

Families took turns in preparing mouneh, and the ladies went from house to house until all the homes of the participants were ready for the winter months to come. With teamwork, the hard work became fun work.

The aubergine makdous is a favourite in the Levant but making it is a process that takes time, the time we don't all necessarily have, as most of us have demanding lives. Store bought aubergine makdous is never tasty therefore following my recipe will give you the same comforting flavour but without the hassle, quick and easy. Green bean makdous is common in Syria, and I am happy to share with you the secrets to a successful morsel.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Start to finish: 35 minutes when chilli paste is prepared beforehand

Ingredients:

200 grams green beans

1 cup walnuts

1/4 cup homemade chilli paste

4 cloves garlic clove

1 1/2 tablespoons rock salt

Method:

· Prepare the home-made chilli paste the day before and place in the fridge.

· Remove the upper stem of the beans and set aside.

· Roughly chop the walnuts then slice the garlic lengthwise into slivers and set aside.

· Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and blanch the green beans for two or three minutes until the colour is a vibrant green.

· Remove the beans and shock them in a bowl of ice water.

· Once cooled drain and place on a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with 1 ½ tablespoons rock salt or coarse sea salt.

· Squeeze the excess water by wrapping it with the towel and pressing. Change the kitchen towel if it gets too wet.

· Chop the beans to 2 cm in length and place in a glass bowl alongside the rock salt you sprinkled previously then add the garlic, home-made chilli paste and walnuts.

· Mix well then put into a sterilised glass jar and press as you fill it.

· Top to the rim with olive oil, tap to release the air bubbles and seal.

· Place in a cold room, and it will be ready to eat in just one week.

Tips:

· The blanching and shocking in ice water make the beans crispy.

· Adding salt to the beans when drying helps to get rid of water trapped in the green beans.

· You can keep the beans wrapped in a towel up to 2 days in the fridge.

· You can use ready made chilli paste if you don't have time to prepare it at home but, taste it as market bought can be salty.

· Cover the jar to the rim with olive oil to create an insulating layer to protect the beans from rotting when exposed to air.

· Keep for months in a cold room.

Per Serving: 874 Calories; 73g Fat (68.8% calories from fat); 36g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 8855mg Sodium.