Indian green beans thoran or poriyal is an easy to make, delicious and healthy green bean stir fry with coconut and spices popular in Kerala and other parts of South India. This is super easy to make at home using fresh green beans (also known as french beans, string beans etc), grated or shredded coconut and few spices popularly used in Indian cuisine. This is a great, easy way to cook fresh green beans and makes delicious Indian style green veggie side dish with rice for lunch or dinner.
If you wonder what is meant by the name "poriyal" or thoran in English, it is just a simple yet delicious stir fry made with added coconut and spices in Indian cuisine but mostly in southern parts of India.
Poriyal or thoran is often made with coconut and when the same thing is made without coconut it is often referred as "mezhukkupuratti" or upperi which is basically a more simpler stir fry with spices.
Often, mixed vegetable stir fries are also made using different veggies.
With green beans, chopped carrots are mixed to make carrot green beans poriyal as well. Carrots along can be made to use carrot poriyal or thoran.
Another popular combination is using cabbage and green peas.
Similar Indian Kerala Recipes:
cherupayar thoran (mung beans)
vanpayar thoran (adzuki beans)
amaranth leaves stir fry (known as cheera thoran)
This green beans stir fry is made using fresh green beans but you may also used canned green beans to make this dish. If uisng canned green beans, make sure to discard all water and just cook the beans for only 3 to 4 minutes since the cooking time will be lesser for canned green beans.
In traditional recipes, often the green beans is chopped to even smaller lengths, however, I found this more easy to do and also it retains the crunchy texture of the green beans when chopped this way.
How To Serve Indian Green Bean Stir Fry?
Indian Kerala style green bean stir fry with coconut and spices if often served along with rice and any other curry like moru curry (yogurt curry), pulissery (yogurt coconut curry), Indian sambar etc along with other optional side dishes like pickles or anything you like!
Though this is mostly enjoyed with Kerala rice (a variety of boiled rice), this also goes great with white basmati rice, brown basmati rice, sona masoori rice, ponni rice, jasmine rice etc or serve with any rice that you usually enjoy.
So here is how you can make this simple, easy and delicious Indian style green beans poriyal (thoran) or stir fry!
How To Make Indian Green Bean Poriyal (Thoran) Or Stir Fry With Coconut?
To make Indian Kerala style green beans thoran or stir fry, we use the following ingredients.
Ingredients used:
green beans 12 oz
garlic 1 teaspoon (fresh minced or garlic powder)
minced onions 2 tablespoons (or use 1 teaspoon onion powder)
salt adjust to taste
turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
red chili powder ½ teaspoon
oil 2 tablespoons
water 2 tablespoons (may need little more)
coconut 1 cup (shredded or grated, unsweetened)
dry red chilies 2 to 3 (broken)
Optinal ingredients:
cumin seeds ¼ teaspoon (or use cumin powder)
Step by sep instructions
Wash the green beans very well, remove any strings from the sides (if there is) and trim the ends.
Slice the green beans in approx. 1 inch slices, keep the sliced beans aside.
Heat oil in a pan and lightly fry the dry red chilies (if you wish to do the traditional Indian seasoning, you can fry ½ teaspoon mustard seeds until they splutter or lightly fry few cumin seeds before adding red chilies).
You may also add curry leaves if you have, to make the seasoning.
Then, add the chopped green beans to the pan carefully. Add salt, mix well and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Also add garlic, onion (minced or powdered), mix well with the green beans and stir fry for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Now add the water, cover the pan with a lid and cook the green beans for about 4 to 5 minutes until they are lightly tender.
Meanwhile, place the fresh grated coconut in a food processor and coarsely grind (along with ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds if desired, also you may add little water while grinding the coconut if it's necessary).
If you are using dried, shredded coconut or powdered coconut, you can skip the grinding of coconut and you may also use cumin powder instead of cumin seeds for making the process even more easier.
Once the coconut mixture is ready, add this also to the green beans.
Also add turmeric powder and red chili powder, stir well to combine with green bean coconut mixture, cover and cook for another 2 more minutes.
Once it's done, open the pan and saute the mixture for another 1 to 2 minutes and easy, delicious stir fried green beans poriyal or thoran is ready to serve!
I didn't add the red chilies in the beginning (sometimes I do not), so I added them now towards the end, which also is great for garnishing!
Serve the Indian green bean stir fry with rice along with any curry like moru curry, sambar etc for a simple yet delicious Indian vegetarian dinner or lunch.
Below you can get the recipe for Indian Kerala style green beans poriyal or thoran in detail.
Indian Green Beans Thoran (Poriyal) - Kerala Stir Fry With Coconut
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh green beans (if using canned, discard the liquid and cook for lesser time)
- 1 teaspoon garlic fresh minced or garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons minced onions or use 1 teaspoon onion powder
- salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons water may need little more
- 1 cup coconut shredded or grated, unsweetened
- 3 dry red chilies broken
Optinal ingredients:
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds or use cumin powder
Instructions
- Wash the green beans very well, remove any strings from the sides (if there is) and trim the ends.
- Slice the green beans in approx. 1 inch slices, keep the sliced beans aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and lightly fry the dry red chilies (if you wish to do the traditional Indian seasoning, you can fry ½ teaspoon mustard seeds until they splutter or lightly fry few cumin seeds before adding red chilies). You may also add curry leaves if you have, to make the seasoning.
- Then, add the chopped green beans to the pan carefully. Add salt, mix well and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Also add garlic, onion (minced or powdered), mix well with the green beans and stir fry for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Now add the water, cover the pan with a lid and cook the green beans for about 4 to 5 minutes until they are lightly tender.
- Meanwhile, place the fresh grated coconut in a food processor and coarsely grind (along with ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds if desired, also you may add little water while grinding the coconut if it's necessary). If you are using dried, shredded coconut or powdered coconut, you can skip the grinding of coconut and you may also use cumin powder instead of cumin seeds for making the process even more easier.
- Once the coconut mixture is ready, add this also to the green beans.
- Also add turmeric powder and red chili powder, stir well to combine with green bean coconut mixture, cover and cook for another 2 more minutes.
- Once it's done, open the pan and saute the mixture for another 1 to 2 minutes and easy, delicious stir fried green beans poriyal or thoran is ready to serve!
- Serve the Indian green bean stir fry with rice along with any curry like moru curry, sambar etc for a simple yet delicious Indian vegetarian dinner or lunch.
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