‘…smell and taste are in fact but a single composite sense, whose laboratory is the mouth and its chimney the nose…’
This is a beautiful, tasty, fragrant recipe. It’s quick to put together and all in all takes 5 minutes prep and 10 to cook. You are really adding a lot of depth of flavor here through adding cayenne, cumin, turmeric and garlic to the coconut. The curry leaves really give the dish an aromatic and citrusy zing. Curry leaves are great for adding complexity to a dish, both in fragrance and taste.
Curry Leaves come from the Curry Leaf tree and are native to the Indian subcontinent. They are used most widely in southern and west coast Indian cooking, in dishes like Thoran, Vada, Rasam and Kadhi. The best way to draw out the flavor is to sauté the curry leaves first. They are great added to soups, stir fries and chutneys.
Curry leaves are rich in antioxidants, calcium and iron as well as being an antibacterial and alkaloid.
Recipe
- 15 Curry Leaves
- 3/4 Cup Shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 Tsp. Cumin
- 1/2 Tsp. Kashmiri Chili Powder
- 1/2 Tsp. Turmeric
- 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 Tbsp. Coconut oil
- 1 Tsp. Mustard Seeds
- 2 Dried Red Chilis
- 1 Pound Green Beans, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tsp. Salt (more to taste)
Method
– Stir coconut, cumin, chili powder, turmeric and garlic.
– Add in 5 of the curry leaves, finely chopped. Add 6 Tablespoons of water to the mix, enough to bring it together between your fingers. Set aside.
– Heat wok or large non-stick pan. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, as they staff to pop add the chili’s, curry leaves (be careful as they will splatter as they hit the oil). Add the green beans and salt. Stir often. After the beans are starting to soften, 2-3 minutes, add the coconut mixture and cook until the beans are tender. Season to taste.
Recipe adapted from @iceculinary
