Beans-Carrot Thoran (Kerala-style beans and carrot stir-fry)

Another traditional, vegetarian dish from Kerala, thoran is a simple stir-fry, generally made with quick-cooking vegetables like cabbage, carrots, beans (or a mix of all these), or even spinach leaves and finished with some fresh grated coconut.  The recipe is very simple, and at least in my house, there aren't any dry spice powders or ginger/garlic used in the dish.

Beans-Carrot Thoran

The recipe I have today is a beans-carrot thoran, made with tender, fresh organic French beans that I spotted at our local Whole Foods.  I have also added about 2-3 tablespoons of grated carrot in there, just to add a little burst of color (but forgot to add that in the ingredients list below).  This dish relies quite heavily on the flavors of the vegetables itself, so whatever you wish to make the thoran out of, make sure it's fresh and in season.   Anywho, here's what you will need to make this thoran.

Beans Thoran - What You Need

Coconut oil (if you aren't used to the flavor of coconut oil, substitute with sunflower oil or any other mild-tasting oil) - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Chana dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - about 7-8
Red onion, finely chopped (or shallots) - 3 tbsp
Green chili, slit lengthwise - 3
French beans, chopped small - 250 g (about 1 cup of chopped beans)
Carrot, grated (large holes in box grater) - about 3 tbsp
Fresh/frozen grated coconut (avoid using dried/dessicated coconut, no sweetened coconut) - 1/4 cup.  If using frozen coconut, thaw before use.
Salt to taste

Beans Thoran - How to Make

First off, I like to use heavier wok sort of vessel for making this rather than a flat saucepan/skillet.  It helps in retaining the color of the vegetables, and this needs to be covered and left to cook, so you need some sort of a cover, either what comes with the vessel or like me, use a cookie sheet :P  On to the cooking...

Beans Thoran - How to Make
1.  Heat the coconut oil, add mustard seeds.  When they start to splutter, add the urad and chana dal, saute for a second or two until they just change colour.  Add the green chili and curry leaves, saute a bit, and add the onions.  Fry until the onions get slightly translucent.
2.  Add the finely chopped beans, give a quick mix to blend all the earlier ingredients with the beans, and salt to taste.  Mix.  Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of water and cover and cook on low heat until the beans are almost done.
3.  Make a little well at the center of the beans.  Add the fresh/frozen-thawed grated coconut to the beans.
4.  Pile up some of the beans on to the coconut heap, replace the cover on the vessel, and cook on low heat for another 2-3 minutes.  The coconut has to heat through and some of the flavor from the coconut mixes in with the beans.

Take off the cover, and mix the beans and the coconut all together.  Stir and let cook for about a minute.  You can add some more fresh curry leaves to the thoran at this point.  Also, check and adjust the salt as needed.

And that's the finished beans-carrot thoran.

Serve beans-carrot thoran  as a side-dish with rice or with roti and dal.  I also like to use this as a stuffing inside sandwiches, mixed with grated cheese and tomato sauce (I use a sandwich maker).  It's yummmm.