#128 Meandering Long Bean or Snake bean Thoran

I smacked myself in the head for posting another "thoran" but it is another one of R's favorites and I make this thoran only when I can find the freshest possible long beans available in the market. This is an ideal dish for those of my foodie friends who are afraid to try out Indian food and would like to make a start since it does not involve strong curry or spice(try using half/ a quarter of the chilli powder measure).  It is almost crunchy, flavors so subtle that it will not be overwhelming and delicious with rice as the main meal. The appearance of creatively new dishes on my table are slowly diminishing and I am back to  my simple vegetarianism. This is the type of meal that has been appealing to me for the last week or so.  But we are a couple of foodies, who get bored with the same food everyday and need variety so the Menu will be changing soon. Now back to my snake beans...............

When selecting snake beans, choose ones that are nice and strong with the seeds tightly held together within the bean. You should really look for a lovely purple tip on the ends of the beans for freshness.

If you have found yourself a fresh bunch of snake beans at the Asian market, then here's what makes a really subtle way of serving this crunchy, nutritious vegetable.

Ingredients:

Snake Beans- 1 bunch(1 lb)

Freshly grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Garlic crushed- 2 cloves

Haldi- 1/2 tspn

Chilli powder- 1/2 tspn

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tspn

Seasoning spices -mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves

Salt and Oil as required

Method:

1. Wash and dry the snake beans well. Snip off the ends of the beans and holding them together in a group of 6-7, start sectioning them into small bits as shown ...

2. Cook the beans in a little water in a small pot with enough salt and chilli powder to taste until just cooked but no liquid is retained at the bottom of the pot.

3. Place a skillet over the fire and add 2 Tblspn of oil. To the oil add the seasoning spices and wait for the mustard seeds to pop.

4. Toss in the cooked and drained beans and the rest of the ingredients and saute until the thoran is moist but no excessive liquid is making it mushy.



5. When completely dry, remove from fire and serve with steamed rice, a gravy and some buttermilk for small vegetarian meal.