Payar Thoran—Long beans stir-fry with coconut is a popular dish from my hometown. Sometimes, it’s the simplest ingredients that create the most satisfying flavors. With just a handful of ingredients and mild spices, and the humble long green beans as the star, this dish proves that less truly is more, delivering a taste that’s comforting, wholesome, and sure to have you coming back for more.
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Why do you love this dish?
- The simplicity of making this dish with the main ingredients, the long beans being the star and lending their flavors, makes it unique.
- It needs a handful of ingredients: long beans, onions, green chilies, curry leaves, and shredded coconut. It's a personal preference to add turmeric, which can be added if required.
- You can make this dish very quickly; the main effort is chopping the long beans.
- Adding the grated coconut is optional, but it gives a unique flavor and goes well with the long beans.
- Long beans can be easily found in any Asian grocery. It is a great option for vegetarians and goes well as a side dish with rice or Rotis.
Ingredients needed:
- Onion diced
- A bunch of long beans cut into small pieces
- Thai green chilies
- Shredded coconut, fresh or frozen
- Mustard seeds
- Turmeric powder
- Sprig curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil
How to make Payar Thoran?
Splutter mustard seeds in a pan with hot oil and add onions, green chilies, and sautée for a while. Next, add the shredded coconut, turmeric powder(if using), and sautée again. Finally, add the long beans and salt and keep frying till they wilt a little.
Add salt to taste and about a quarter cup of water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes, and check often to see if cooked to desired liking. Finally, add the curry leaves and fry again.
- Step 1: Splutter mustard seeds in oil and add onions and green chilies
- Step 2:Add some shredded coconut
- Step 3: Mix well and sauté it for a while
- Step 4: Add turmeric if using (optional)
- Step 5: Add salt and a little water, and cook it with a closed lid on medium heat.
- Step 6: When the long beans are cooked well, add some curry leaves and saute on high heat until they become dry.
Recipe FAQs
Sure, it will still taste good. 'Thoran' is generally a side dish made with coconut, but if you skip the coconut, it becomes a 'mezhukkupuratti'—a simpler dish typically cooked with onions, green chilies, and curry leaves.
Some varieties of long green beans or payar need more water to cook thoroughly, so feel free to increase the quantity of water while steaming and cooking.
Variations in making Payar Thoran
This is normally a common dish in almost every household in my hometown, with probably a slight variation to the spices, like the addition of garlic and dried red chillies as ingredients.
Other variations are in the different ways the long beans are cut, some prefer to cut them an inch long. I usually prefer to cut it into really small pieces.
If you loved this, you may also like another similar recipe, Cabbage Thoran. This is served popularly with rice and a thin tomato soup like rasam, sambar, or sambaram.
Related Recipes
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Payar Thoran - Long beans stir-fry
Ingredients
- ½ onion diced
- 4 cups long beans cut into small pieces
- 3-4 Green chillies Thai
- ¾ cup coconut fresh or frozen grated
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter
- Add onions, green chillies and sautée for a while
- Next add the shredded coconut, turmeric powder(if using) and sautée again
- Finally, add the long beans and salt and keep frying till it wilts a little
- Add salt to taste and about a quarter cup water
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes
- Keep checking from time to time and make sure not to burn or overcook it
- Finally, add the curry leaves and fry for 2 more minutes
- Switch off the flame, long beans stir fry is ready to be served!
I would love to have your stir fried beans with rasam sadham !
Sure Megala, that's one of my favorite combination as well 🙂 Thank you!
Absolutely delicious recipe...Loved it !!
Thank you so much ,very simple as well!
Love this 😋😋 tastes best with rasam rice!!!!
Yes Anusha, goes well with rasam rice !Thank you!
Nice recipe...love with hot piping rice 😋
Yes that is a great combination! Thanks Jyo!