Indian Green Beans With Coconut

This Indian green beans with coconut dish has been inspired by the South Indian poriyal recipe.

You may call them green beans, french beans, haricots, string beans, snap beans; whatever you refer them as, they are one of the healthiest, tasty and fast cooking vegetable you can find.

String beans have a mellow neutral taste. Some like the taste and others may not, but I guarantee that their thoughts may change if you serve them sauteed fresh green beans with aromatic spices or herbs.

Adding flavour to green beans is such a game changer.

Playing hide and taste is a little gaming trick I follow to make fussy eaters become adventurous with flavour and food!!

Ingredients For Making Indian Green Beans With Coconut

Making this Indian string beans requires just 5 simple ingredients baring salt .

FRESH AND PANTRY INGREDIENTS

⇒ Green beans

⇒Shredded coconut

⇒Mustard seeds

⇒ Curry leaves

⇒ Ghee / coconut oil/ Olive oil/Avocado oil

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS 

⇒ Add 1/2 tsp on Asafoetida to replicate the taste of onion and garlic and added health benefits.

⇒ You can also choose to add 1 tsp of chana daal as a tempering for a nutty crunch

⇒ You can add a teaspoon of cumin seeds as well

SUBSTITUTE INGREDIENTS 

It has become easy to find fresh or frozen coconut these days.

But here are few substitute options in case you struggle to find the any of the 5 listed ingredients:

⇒ Substitute for fresh coconut – I have used freshly shredded coconut but you can use desiccated coconut.

⇒ Substitute for curry leaves – Curry leaves is a unique Indian herb, the flavour of which is very hard to replicate.  It is earthy and fresh.  However the leaves can sometimes be difficult to find.  You can skip this if you do not find curry leaves or add lemon rind and lemon juice instead.

You can buy fresh or dried curry leaves from an Indian store near to  you or online such as the one below:

⇒ Substitute for brown mustard seeds – The most commonly used mustard seeds in Indian food is black mustard. If you do not find black/brown mustard seeds then feel free to use yellow mustard seeds. (more cooking tips shared below)

Or buy black mustard seeds directly online.

How To Make Indian Green Beans – Step with images

Below are images explaining the step wise cooking process to make Indian style green beans at home.

STEP 1 

Heat ghee or oil in pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter for 30 seconds. Add the chopped greens beans and saute on medium heat for 5-8 mins or until just cooked but still has a crunch.

STEP 2 

Once you think the beans is almost cooked add grated fresh or desiccated coconut over the green beans, mix well together, cook or 2 – 4 minutes more and take it off heat.

STEP 3 

Serve warm Indian beans with coconut with boiled rice or as a side dish.

Cooking Tips and FAQ’s

1. When buying any type of green beans choose the one that are tender, have a bright green colour and are blemish free. They cook much faster and taste great.
2. Spread out the beans on the skillet or pan you use so that they cook faster and evenly.
3. If the beans are a bit thick then cover and cook them for 3-5 minutes in the beginning.
4. For a hot kick add fresh green chillies or red chilli powder while frying the beans.
5. You can also add a hint of lemon juice for a bit of a tang at the end of cooking.
6. For best taste of the beans try not to overcook them.

How Is This An  Easy Indian Recipe For Beginners

This fresh Indian style green beans recipe is a great dish that can be made by even a novice cook.

If you are looking for easy Indian recipes for beginners then this Indian green bean dish is one I surely recommend to start with.

And why is it good for beginner cooks?

Because this super simple and easy French bean meal requires only 5 ingredients, 15 minutes of your cooking time and no complicated cooking process.

And before you can clear the kitchen and lay the table the dish is ready to be served.

This dish breaks all the myth that cooking Indian food is complicated and needs many ingredients.

Cooking with limited ingredients is one of the tip I share to cook Indian food faster. 

Is this a healthy low carb vegan French beans recipe?

Apart from the taste and ease of cooking French beans, they are packed with health benefits.

Full  of nutrients –  All varieties of green beans, be it snap beans, string beans, haricots, French beans are rich in fiber, folic acid and even calcium. This makes it a great food source during pregnancy and breast feeding.

They are also laden with vitamins A,C and K . You can read about more medical facts about green beans here.

Perfect For Keto lifestyle – All ingredients used in this dish is great for anyone on a special diet. This dish is a vegan green beans recipe good for those looking for a low carb, gluten free meal.

Spices for added health & flavour – The addition of 2 spices and coconut elevates the taste and health of this dish in an instead.

Can you use frozen beans for making Indian style green beans?

Yes. You can use frozen green beans for making this Indian green beans with coconut.

You may however need to saute frozen beans for a bit longer to let the water evaporate first before you add coconut.

Are there any other ways to make coconut beans?

The good thing about this basic Indian recipe is that you do not have to use green beans as the only vegetable. The ingredients are so versatile that you can mix -match or alternate ingredients to your liking:

1. Add other vegetables to green beans to make the dish more bulky. Vegetables like sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas can all be added.
2. Substitute green beans with chopped asparagus ,spinach, Swiss chard.
3. If you do not have mustard seeds then add cumin seeds instead. Or you can add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp mustard seeds too.
4. You do not need to have curry leaves for making this dish, Although it adds a depth of flavour to the dish, it is not a must.
5. Substitute curry leaves with fresh coriander leaves and add it right at the end of cooking.
6. Use a good healthy oil for making this sauteed Indian French beans and retaining the health benefits. I used ghee but you can use coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil.
7. If you do not like the texture or taste of coconut then you can add shredded almond as well.
8. Substitute black mustard seeds with yellow mustard seeds or just cumin seeds.