Green Beans Poriyal with Coconut
A South Indian stir-fry of finely chopped green beans tempered with popping mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and dried chiles, then finished with fresh coconut. Quick, fragrant and gently spiced, it's a perfect side for rice, sambar or dal.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 27 min
- Makes
- About 3 cups (4 side servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Measure all the tempering ingredients (mustard seeds, urad dal, chiles, curry leaves) into a small bowl or next to the stove before you heat the pan. Once the oil is hot, things move fast.
- Pat the curry leaves completely dry after washing; water makes hot oil spatter violently.
- If using frozen grated coconut, thaw it in a bowl of room-temperature water for 10 minutes and drain, or microwave for 20 seconds.
- Have a lid ready for the pan, because mustard seeds pop and jump out.
Prep the beans
- Rinse the green beans and trim the stem ends.
- Line several beans up on a cutting board and cut crosswise into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces.
- Finely dice the onion.
- Wash the curry leaves, strip them from the stems and pat them completely dry.
- Set everything near the stove.
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Ready when: Beans are uniformly small, about the size of a pea pod segment.
Tip: Uniform small pieces cook evenly and are easier to eat with rice.
Heat oil, pop mustard
- Set a 12-inch (30 cm) deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add the oil and heat for about 1 minute until it shimmers.
- Add the mustard seeds and cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar.
- Cook for 30–45 seconds, until most seeds pop and the crackling slows.
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Ready when: Seeds pop and turn gray; crackling slows to a few pops per second.
Tip: If the seeds don't pop, the oil is not hot enough; if they smoke, remove from heat briefly. Burnt mustard seeds taste bitter.
Toast dal and chiles
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add the urad dal, dried red chiles and curry leaves.
- Stir constantly for 20–30 seconds until the dal turns light golden and the leaves turn crisp and translucent.
- Stand back, as the leaves will spatter.
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Ready when: Dal is light golden brown and the kitchen smells nutty and fragrant.
Tip: Don't let the dal go dark brown; it turns bitter.
Soften the onion
- Add the diced onion and the slit green chile, if using.
- Cook, stirring often, for 2–3 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent with just a hint of golden color at the edges.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent and soft, not browned.
Add beans and spices
- Stir in the turmeric, then add the chopped green beans and salt.
- Toss for 1 minute so every piece is coated in the yellow-tinged oil and spices.
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Ready when: Beans look bright green and evenly coated.
Steam covered
- Sprinkle the water over the beans and cover the pan tightly.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5–6 minutes, lifting the lid to stir once or twice, until the beans are crisp-tender.
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Ready when: A bean piece bites through with slight crunch, no raw squeaky texture, and the color is still vivid green.
Tip: If the pan looks dry and the beans start to stick, add 1 tablespoon of water. Don't overcook or they turn olive and mushy.
Dry off excess moisture
- Remove the lid, raise heat to medium-high and stir for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid so the beans are dry, not soupy.
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Ready when: No liquid pools at the bottom of the pan.
Finish with coconut
- Add the grated coconut and stir for 1–2 minutes, just until the coconut is warmed through and mixed evenly.
- Turn off the heat.
- Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.
- Serve hot or warm.
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Ready when: Coconut looks fluffy and is warm to the touch; it should not brown.
Tip: Adding coconut at the end keeps its fresh sweet flavor and white color.
Good to know
Tips
- Cut the beans small and even; this is the signature texture of a poriyal and lets the coconut cling.
- Keep the pan covered while the mustard seeds pop, and add the beans promptly so the tempering does not scorch.
- For a vivid green color, don't overcook and don't add salt too early in the tempering stage.
- Serve with rice, sambar, rasam or dal, or tuck into a wrap with yogurt.
Make ahead
Trim and chop the beans and dice the onion up to 1 day ahead; refrigerate in separate airtight containers. Cook just before serving for the best color.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 3 days. Freezer: not recommended, as the beans turn soft and the coconut gets watery. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between.
Substitutions
- freshly grated coconut (or unsweetened frozen grated coconut, thawed) → unsweetened desiccated coconut, 3 tbsp (15 g), soaked in 2 tbsp hot water for 10 minutes and drained. Slightly drier and less sweet than fresh, but works well.
- fresh curry leaves → omit; add 1 tbsp chopped cilantro at the end. The flavor will be different, since curry leaves have no true substitute, but the dish is still tasty.
- split skinned urad dal (white lentils) → chana dal (split chickpeas). Gives a slightly firmer crunch; toast for the same 20–30 seconds.
- green beans → French beans, carrots, or a mix of both. Keep the total at 1 lb (450 g); carrots need 1–2 extra minutes of steaming.