Guar beans / Avarai 200gDescriptionGuar beans are small to medium in size, averaging 3-10 centimeters in length, and are long and narrow with tapered ends. The smooth pods are green when young and have a slightly slimy, soft texture. As the pods mature, they transform into a yellow-green, and beneath the smooth skin, there are visible clustered seeds. Each pod contains 5-12 seeds that can range in color from black, white, grey, to pink. Guar beans have a slightly bitter, green taste with a similar flavor to broad beans.ApplicationsGuar beans are best suited for cooked applications such as sautéing, stir-frying, and roasting. Young Guar beans are consumed similarly to green beans and are popular in daals or lentil soups, stir-fries, curries, mixed vegetable sabzi, and pulav which is an aromatic basmati rice cooked with vegetables and dry nuts. Mature Guar is most often used in commercial applications and is harvested for the seeds within the pod. The seeds are dried and ground into a fine powder known as Guar gum. This gum is used as a thickener for soups, dough, dressings, ketchup, and puddings, as a stabilizer in cheeses, and a stiffener in ice creams and yogurt. Guar beans pair well with mustard seeds, turmeric, chili powder, coriander, garam masala, onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, bell pepper, carrots, broccoli, and coconut. When fresh, they will keep 1-2 weeks when stored in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.