BEANS THORAN

A stir fry of sorts, this is an essential part of a sadhya. For this, you will need 1tbsp coconut oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 6-7 pearls of sambhar onions or shallots, 3-4 small or mediumsized garlic cloves (finely chopped), 1 green chilli (chopped), 10-11 curry leaves, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 250g french beans, ½ cup grated fresh coconut, 1/3 cup water

METHOD

■ Rinse 250g of beans a couple of times and drain the water. Discard the ends of the beans and finely chop. Heat coconut oil in a heavy pan or kadhai. Add mustard seeds, and when it begins to crackle, add cumin seeds and let them crackle. Next, add in the sambhar onions. You can even use finely chopped onions instead. Mix well and sauté the onions on a low flame, till they turn translucent. To this, add finely chopped garlic, green chilli, curry leaves, followed by turmeric powder and mix well.

Now, add the finely chopped

beans and stir. Add ½cup fresh grated coconut, season with salt as per taste and mix it well. Sprinkle about 4tbsp of water first and stir. Cover and cook the thoran on a low flame. Check after 3-4 minutes. If water has dried up, sprinkle some more water. Mix well and continue to cover and cook. Add water in parts, as and when

required. Cook till the beans are completely cooked. If there is any water in the pan, cook without the lid till the water evaporates. Serve beans thoran with some steamed rice or as a vegetable side dish. If you want, you can also garnish with some coriander leaves. Recipes by home chef Suja Rajendran