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    Home » Recipes » Indian Curries

    Published: January 18, 2021 | Last Modified: March 4, 2021 by Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju | This post may contain affiliate links. 💬 - 1 Comment

    Stir Fry Green Beans with Coconut (Beans Poriyal)

    Dairy Free RecipesGluten Free RecipesVegan Recipes
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    Green beans stir fried with coconut, and rich Indian spices - this South Indian dish is a healthy way to enjoy a stir fry with some rice or flatbread and comes together in just 30 minutes!
    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    South Indian Beans Poriyal, aka stir-fried green beans with coconut, takes me back to my childhood nostalgia. If you've never had these coconut green beans, you're in for a treat. They're juicy, delicious, and a great way to eat beans (that's not boring!)

    Straight angle of finished dish in a brass container

    This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you're in a rush, please use the "Jump to Recipe" link!

    This post might contain affiliate links. If you click on those and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to:
    • 💭 Why you'll love this recipe
    • 📋 Ingredients and notes
    • 📖 Step-by-step instructions
    • 👩🏽‍🍳Top tips and FAQs
    • 🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    💭 Why you'll love this recipe

    • Vegan and gluten-free: This recipe is both vegan and gluten-free, making it great for all eaters. It's also super versatile and can be easily adapted!
    • Comes together in just 30 minutes: Hard to beat a recipe that comes together in under an hour, but this one takes it a step further.
    • Delicious and nutritious: This is a healthy recipe and a great way to get your kids to eat some greens. It's crunchy, just a bit spicy and tastes perfect with rice!

    📋 Ingredients and notes

    You'll need a pound of green beans, cooking oil, mustard seeds, split lentils (typically urad or toor dal, but in a pinch you can literally substitute this with any flat, dry yellow lentil you have on hand), and unsweetened, desiccated or shredded coconut. Then, you'll need the same lentils, dried Indian red chilis (or red pepper flakes) and salt for the spice mix.

    Labeled ingredient list - check recipe card for details and quantities!

    Lentil Substitutions

    This is the most common question I get, so I wanted to address it in detail. There are four options for making the dry spice mixture (and check out lentil chart below for visual differences - the traditional combo are the two on the bottom right!)

    • Traditional: The way my mom makes it (aka the recipe, as written) uses two types of lentils - urad dal and chana dal. If you have both of those on hand (say because you subscribed to my Indian Cooking 101 series), you're in for a treat.
    • Best Single Lentil: Your best bet to optimize use of lentils is by using toor dal (a great multi-purpose lentil for most Indian cooking, and you can find this on Amazon ).
    • Easiest Lentil to Find: If you're in a rush, try finding red lentils (aka masoor dal) at your local grocery store. Those work in a pinch as well.
    • No Lentil Option: Okay, you're all out of luck, and just want to use an alternative? Crush up some peanuts. Unsalted works best in this case.
    Labeled list of different types of lentils showing the physical difference

    If you're interested in learning more about how to stock a simple but effective Indian Pantry, don't forget to check out my detailed guide on the key Indian spices and ingredients you must get, and some nice-to-haves.

    [convertkit form=1553746]

    📖 Step-by-step instructions

    Prepare the green beans and boil them to soften

    Trim the edges off the green beans and chop them into small, 1-2 inch pieces. This helps them cook faster. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil, and drop the beans in for about 5 minutes. This should be sufficient time to help them soften a bit.

    Prepare the dry spice mixture

    Start by toasting half a tablespoon of urad dal, half a tablespoon of gram dal, and 2-3 Indian red chilis (adjust this to your spice levels) until golden brown. Then add these, as well as a pinch of salt and dry grind into a fine powder using a spice grinder. If you don't have a spice grinder, use the smallest dry grind container you have and increase the recipe to 1 cup each of the lentils. You can then store the extra spice powder in your freezer, and use on any other vegetable stir fry of your choice!

    Four panel collage showing how to roast and grind spice mix

    Make stir fry green beans

    In a large enough skillet, heat some cooking oil (I typically use olive or avocado oil). Then, add the mustard seeds and the rest of the urad dal (or whatever lentil substitution you're using) and let them splutter.

    Two panel collage showing tempering and green beans added to skillet

    Add the cooked beans and sauté for about 5 minutes. Once the beans are well mixed, add the spice mix we made in the previous step, and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes.

    Two panel collage showing how to add spice mix and saute

    Finally, add the desiccated coconut, give it all a good mix to combine and take off the heat.

    Two panel collage showing addition of coconut and saute

    Your coconut green beans are ready!

    Skillet green beans, finished product

    👩🏽‍🍳Top tips and FAQs

    What can I substitute for the urad and chana dals?

    I understand it's not always easy to have these on hand. I suggest substituting these lentils with toor dal (multi-purpose split yellow lentil I highly recommend if you're into Indian cooking), masoor dal (traditional red lentils, found at most grocery stores) or simply just crush up some peanuts for both the spice mixture and the sautéing.

    Do I need to use Indian red chilis?

    Indian red chilis are dried chilis, so they have a rich depth of flavor (in addition to adding some spice value). If you don't have these on hand, I suggest using red pepper flakes in the spice mix, and skipping it in the sautéing step.

    Can I make poriyal with other vegetables?

    Absolutely! Poriyal is traditionally served as a side to any lunch meal (or thali) in South India. You can make this with a number of vegetables - carrots, beans, okra, cabbage, beets, the list is endless! Make a batch of the spice mix and get going!

    🍴 Serving and storage suggestions

    I highly recommend serving these as part of a full Indian meal - think, homemade naan, jeera rice, dal tadka, and these green beans. You're in for a treat! You can store these stir fry green beans in the fridge for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container.

    If you like this recipe, don't forget to try out my other Indian recipes:

    • Bombay Potatoes (Spicy Indian Potatoes)
    • Mumbai Pav Bhaji
    • Chana Masala
    • Healthy Samosas

    Also, don't forget to sign up for my Indian Cooking 101 Newsletter Series!

    [convertkit form=1553746]

    Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much

    📖 Recipe

    Straight angle shot of finished product in brass Indian pot
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Stir Fry Green Beans with Coconut (Beans Poriyal)

    Green beans stir fried with coconut, and rich Indian spices - this South Indian dish is a healthy way to enjoy a stir fry with some rice or flatbread and comes together in just 30 minutes!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 86kcal
    Author: Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

    Ingredients

    Indian Stir Fry Spice Mix

    • ½ tablespoon urad dal, see notes for substitutions
    • ½ tablespoon chana dal, see notes for substitutions
    • 3 dried Indian red chili , adjust to your spice tolerance!
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Green Bean Stir Fry

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, optional, can skip
    • 1 tablespoon urad dal, see notes for substitutions
    • 1 lb green beans, trimmed, sliced into 1-2" pieces
    • ½ teaspoon salt, adjust to your taste levels
    • ¼ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Start by trimming the ends of a pound of green beans, and chop them into small, 1-2" pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the green beans and cook for ~5 minutes to soften them. They'll still have a bit of a bite, but that's good! You don't want them mushy.
    • Add a tablespoon each of urad dal and chana dal, 2-3 red chilis, and a teaspoon of salt to a spice grinder and dry grind into a fine powder.
      Note: If you don't have these lentils on hand, you can substitute by using just one of them, by using toor dal or masoor dal (red lentils) to replace both of them, or by simply using crushed peanuts instead.
    • Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a large skillet followed by a teaspoon of mustard seeds and a tablespoon of urad dal.
      Note: If you don't have urad dal, replace with toor dal or masoor dal or crushed peanuts.
    • Drain the green beans and add to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then, add the dry spice mixture and give it a good mix. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
    • Finally, turn the heat to low, and add your shredded / desiccated coconut and give it all a good mix to combine and turn off the heat. Serve hot!

    Notes

    Lentil Substitutions:
    This recipe uses two common types of Indian lentils - urad dal and chana dal. However, I understand you might not have these on hand, so I want to share some substitutions. You can use toor dal (a great, multi-purpose split yellow lentil I highly recommend if you're into Indian cooking), masoor dal (traditional red lentils, found at most grocery stores) or simply just crush up some peanuts for both the spice mixture and the sautéing. Note that the recipe taste will differ slightly based on which path you take, but it'll be delicious!
    Red Chili Pepper Substitutions:
    Indian dried red chili is a really unique and rich taste that's not just spicy. However, if you don't have these on hand, I suggest using a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the spice mixture and leaving it out of the sautéing step. I find using red pepper flakes in the sauté step makes it too spicy. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 588mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 588IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag @urbanfarmie or #urbanfarmie to let me know – I would LOVE to see your creations!
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    Comments

    1. Ann

      August 17, 2022 at 1:22 am

      5 stars
      Really tasty and easy as long as you have Urad and Chana dal available

      Reply

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    Shruthi Baskaran - Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, and Blogger at Urban Farmie

    I am Shruthi, the recipe developer, photographer and blogger behind Urban Farmie. I have two graduate degrees from Stanford, one focused on food systems. And I hope to bring you everything you need for healthy-ish, comforting, nourishing vegetarian cooking.

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    Recipe Key

    Dairy free
    Gluten free
    Nut free
    Vegan
    Vegetarian

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