Coconut Green Beans with Crispy Shallots and Cumin Rice
Motherland
4
15 minutes
25 minutes
Fresh green beans, coconut and curry leaves meet cumin rice, with enough crispy shallots to cause minor table negotiations.
Ingredients
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1 cup basmati rice
1½ cups water
1 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp kosher salt
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1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
3 tbsp neutral oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal (optional)
8–10 curry leaves
1 dried red chili, broken in half
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp kosher salt
¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp water
1 tsp lime juice
Directions
Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear; drain.
Heat the ghee in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add the rice, water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low.
Cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the shallots over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring often, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a rack or paper towel.
Leave about 1½ tbsp oil in the skillet. Add the mustard seeds. Once they pop, add the urad dal, curry leaves and dried chili; cook for 30 seconds.
Add the green beans, turmeric, salt and water. Cover and cook for 4 minutes.
Uncover and cook for 4–6 minutes, until the beans are tender but retain some bite and the water has evaporated.
Add the coconut and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and half the crispy shallots. Serve over the cumin rice and scatter the remaining shallots on top.
