Green Beans poriyal is a quick and tasty South Indian recipe made with tender french beans, savory spices and fresh coconut.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 225 to 250 grams french beans
  • 2 tablespoons oil (- any neutral flavored oil or coconut oil)
  • ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¾ teaspoon urad dal ((split husked black gram))
  • 2 dry red chilies (- whole or broken and deseeded)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • 1 sprig of curry leaves (or 10 to 12 curry leaves)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon fresh grated coconut (or desiccated coconut or frozen grated coconut)
  • ½ cup water (or add as required)
  • salt (as required)

Method

Chopping beans

  1. Rinse the french beans for a few times in a colander with fresh water. Drain all the water.
  2. Remove the side strings from the beans and then chop them diagonally or in ¼ inch pieces.

Making beans poriyal

  1. Heat oil in a kadai or pan. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal.
  2. On a low heat fry the mustard seeds and urad dal. Fry till the mustard splutters and the urad dal turns into a maroonish red. Don't burn the dal.
  3. Add the dry red chilies, curry leaves, turmeric powder, asafoetida. Mix very well.
  4. Now add the chopped french beans
  5. Saute for a minute and then add ½ cup water together with the salt.

Cooking Beans

  1. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on a low heat until the french beans are tender and done.
  2. Check in between while cooking. If the water dries up, you can add some more water.
  3. Once the beans are cooked till tender and there is no water in the pan, then add the grated coconut.
  4. Mix well. Switch off the heat.
  5. Serve the french beans poriyal hot or warm with sambar and steamed rice.
  6. It also tastes good when eaten with roti or paratha. You can also serve it as a side with South Indian meals or dal and rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.