String Beans sans Coconut

                                      String Beans sans Coconut

One of our favorite veggie is String Beans. We can eat any form of this vegetable  and love to add this in almost everything boiled beans in our salad,  mixed vegetable curry, Paruppu Usili, Beans sauteed with the flavor of coconut added at the end, beans kootu.Usually in any south Indian kitchen it would accompany as a side dish for sambar or rasam.My mom mostly makes beans Saute with coconut added at the end. The day I decided to make beans, I did not have coconut in stock. I decided to add a handful of moong dal during the boiling process, the curry turned out excellent without missing the taste of coconut. The moong dal added crunchiness and color. We enjoyed it with rRce and Sambar.

Ingredients

String Beans 1Lb

Moong Dal about a Handful

Salt to taste

Oil 1Tsp

Seasoning

Mustard Seeds 1 Tsp

Red Chilies 3

Channa Dal 1 Tsp

Moond Dal 1 Tsp

Asafetida/Hing a Dash

Cumin Seeds 1 Tsp (Optional)

Curry Leaves to Garnish


Method:

1. Cut the string beans in to small cube sized pieces

2. In a kadai heat the oil and when ready, add the seasonings mustard seeds, channa dal, urad dal, redchilies, cumin seeds, hing.

3. Add the cut string beans and moong dal.Add 2 cups of water, salt and close it with a lid. Check once in a while, so that water level is maintained and the vegetable is not burnt.

4. The cooked string beans will be soft and all the water would have evaporated during the boiling process . You can also check for readiness by smashing a tiny piece in between your fingers and you will be able to feel the softness. The moong dal will take same time as the beans to boil.