For Thanksgiving one of the dishes I was assigned to make was green beans. Ugh, boring. My original idea was a sweet and spicy green bean stir fry, but then I thought why not do an Indian-inspired dish? I have to tell you that my green beans were a huge hit, and I was asked to make them again on Friday! Luckily, this dish comes together in no time at all… literally 20 minutes! What really helps is using a microwaveable bag of green beans (fresh or frozen), and being able to cook using ONE pan. The detailed recipe to my Indian fusion green beans is listed below. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I did!
Ingredients
- 1 bag or 10 oz trimmed green beans
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 inch ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes or to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 wedge lemon
Toast coconut flakes in a large heavy bottom pan on lowest heat setting until they have a light golden color. Remove from pan and set aside. Cook green beans according to package instructions. Remove from bag to cool, and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in pan.
When hot, fry mustard seeds until you hear popping then add chopped cashews. Saute on medium-high heat for 1 min until cashews start to get toasted. Add shallots, garlic, ginger. Saute on medium to low heat for 2 min until fragrant. Then add red chili flakes, turmeric, and salt. Stir until combined well.
Add green beans and toss until beans are completed coated with spice mixture. If green beans are not cooked to required doneness add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cooked covered so that green beans finish steaming.
Remove from heat, add salt if needed. Toss green beans with toasted coconut, and add a nice squeeze of lemon.
*This can easily be made into a complete meal by adding cooked tofu, baby potatoes, chicken, or shrimp. Or serve over rice!
*May substitute ingredients such as using roasted cashews (being mindful of salt) red onion instead of shallot, or avocado oil instead of coconut.
Leave a Reply