Stir Fry Green Beans with Coconut (Beans Poriyal)

An overhead image of beans poriyal (Indian Stiry Fry Beans) in a serving bowl with a fork on the side.

Stir Fry Green Beans with Coconut (Beans Poriyal)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 86kcal

Author: Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

I love making Beans Poriyal— South Indian green beans stir-fried with coconut and spices. It's my go-to for a quick, healthy side dish with rice or flatbread!

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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

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 or desiccated coconut and give it all a good mix to combine and turn off the heat. Serve hot!

Notes

Lentil Substitutions: You can use toor dal (a great, multi-purpose split yellow lentil), 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, use 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.

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