Beans Poriyal (French Beans Stir Fry)

Name: Beans Poriyal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Tamilnadu)
Ingredients: 300 g French beans, trimmed and finely cut into 5 mm rounds; 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut; ½ tsp turmeric; ½ tsp salt; 1 green chilli, slit; 2 tsp coconut oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; ½ tsp urad dal; 1 dried red chilli, broken; 2 sprigs curry leaves; ¼ tsp asafoetida; Fine cutting (5 mm rounds, not diagonal slices) gives the best texture — even cooking and the characteristic beans poriyal visual.; Beans must be fully tender (not al dente) — partially cooked beans in poriyal is considered poor quality in Tamil cooking.; The 3 tbsp water cooks the beans without making them soggy — no more than this.

🌱 Vegan🌾 Gluten-free📊 Easy

French beans finely cut and stir-fried with coconut, curry leaves, and mustard seeds — one of the most fundamental Tamil dinner side dishes. Crisp, nutty, and the perfect dry counterpoint to wet sambar and rasam in the full dinner plate.

⏱️15 minPrep

🔥12 minCook

🕒27 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Beans Poriyal

Temper (medium heat): Heat coconut oil. Mustard — crackle. Urad dal (10 sec). Red chilli, curry leaves, asafoetida (15 sec).
Add beans (medium heat): Add finely cut beans, green chilli, turmeric, salt, and 3 tbsp water. Toss. Cover and cook 6–8 minutes until beans are fully tender but still bright green — press between fingers, should yield without resistance. Uncover and cook off any remaining water — 1–2 minutes.
Add coconut and finish: Add grated coconut. Toss 30 seconds. Turn off. Serve dry and immediately.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 80 kcal | 2 g | 7 g | 4 g | 3 g | Beans Poriyal is the most requested Tamil school lunch box item — packed into stainless steel containers for Tamil children for generations. The poriyal's dry nature means it doesn't make the rice soggy in transit. French beans were introduced to South India by Portuguese traders in the 16th century but were immediately embraced by Tamil cooks who adapted the existing poriyal technique. Today it is one of the few dishes that appears identically in Tamil Brahmin and non-Brahmin cooking — universally liked, universally made. ---

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