It’s no secret that I don’t really love many vegetables. Especially green vegetables. I tolerate them because I know they’re good for me, but I can’t say that I actually look forward to eating them. These green beans are a complete exception!
I first tasted this recipe a few years ago when we were traveling through South India and it was love at first bite.
Maybe it’s the coconut or maybe it’s the flavor from the curry leaves, but I’m not joking when I say these beans are addicting.
The beans are cooked in a bit of oil, minimal spices and finished with some fresh, grated coconut–typical for a South Indian poriyal. A poriyal, to my best (but limited) knowledge, is simply a veg dish that’s been either shallow fried or sauted. The manner of cooking is very similar to a subzi (vegetable curry), only the spices/ingredient combinations vary slightly–depending on the region.
The best part about this cooking style is that it’s quick! In little to no time you can have a flavorful dish ready to serve. Prepping and cutting the beans, on the other hand, can take a bit of time. I hate prepping beans.
As a finished dish, it looks a bit better if the beans are cut smaller and more at an angle. But, truthfully, I don’t have the patience or time for that. I just chop them up as fast as possible, trying to ensure they’re all mostly the same size.
I tend to make this dish quite often in the summer months–when the Minnesota produce is in abundance and the flavor can’t be beat. It goes great with rice and sambhar but we also love to eat it with briyani–or our favorite way: simply picked right out of the serving dish with our bare fingers.
More often than not, the beans are nearly gone by the time they actually appear on the dinner table! They’re the perfect snack. Even my opinionated toddler agrees!
