String Beans and Coconut Stir Fry
This bold, fragrant, deeply flavored string bean dish with coconut is inspired by my favorite South Indian dish: poriyal. With less than 7 ingredients and under 10 minutes of prep time, this quick stir fry is a great side dish or meatless main course on its own!Fresh, young, tender string beans are key to this dish -- they cook fast and have a mild sweetness that’s hard to describe. Coconut adds texture and toasty flavor to the dish. It’s great if you have fresh coconut on hand, but that’s hard to find in NYC so I usually make this with grated, unsweetened dried coconut. For a full plant-based Indian meal, serve these coconut string beans with my South Indian-Style Dal, Vegan Naan or, some rice, and if you want to keep it keto serve them with my Almond Coconut Flatbread!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 2 dried red chili peppers (optional)
- 4 fresh curry leaves
- 3 cups fresh string beans, (edges trimmed, chopped into 1/4- inch pieces)
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened dried coconut (grated)
Instructions
- In a saute pan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat.
- Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add curry leaves and dried red chili peppers (if using), then fry until the curry leaves turn crispy.
- Add chopped string beans, turmeric, and salt, and saute for 2 minutes.
- Cover and cook on a low flame until the string beans are tender (about 4 minutes).
- Add shredded coconut, mixing well, and saute for another minute.
- Serve with South Indian-Style Dal, Vegan Naan, rice, or Almond Coconut Flatbread.
