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.

Muringayila Mulakushyam (Drumstick Leaves and Lentil Curry)

Mulakushyam is a very common dish in Kerala, and generally, it's made by cooking vegetables such pumpkin or spinach in a lentil and coconut based sauce.  Traditionally, this is made using fresh coconut ground with some whole spices, but I have modified the recipe and use spice powders and canned coconut milk.

Muringayila (drumstick leaves) aren't that commonly available - definitely need to look for them in Indian stores, and even then, it's not the easiest ingredient to find - and removing the leaves from their stalks is quite a boring work.  Despite all that, this is one of the healthy greens that is actually quite tasty, and I pick it up whenever I find it in store.