Sunday, June 18, 2006

French Beans Thoran





I buy the French beans at Costco, and they are a staple in my house. Thoran is a dry vegetable curry , with the flavoring of coconut in it. My embellishment to this dish is the tempering which is slightly different from the traditional, mustard seeds and udad dal tempering. Instead I add cumin seeds and garlic which add a definite kick to the otherwise bland dish.

Serves 6-8

French beans 2 lbs chopped finely
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp

Grind to a coarse paste

Fresh/Frozen Coconut grated 2 tbsp
Green chillies 3
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

For the tempering

Mustard Seeds 1tsp
Cumin Seeds 1tsp
Hing a pinch
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Garlic chopped 1 clove
Curry leaves 4

Method:

1. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, once they pop add rest of the tempering ingredients in the order listed.
2. Add beans, salt, ground paste.
3. Cover and cook on low heat, till tender and dry.
4. Serve as a side dish.



If I am in a hurry, I zap the french beans for 5 minutes in the microwave, then the whole cooking process takes only 10 minutes or less.