Green Beans With Mustard Seeds, Cashews and Coconut

By Melissa Clark

Published October 11, 2016

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(547)
Comments
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This fragrant, deeply flavored green bean dish works as an intense side dish for a simple meal or as a meatless main course in its own right. Take care when adding the mustard seeds to the skillet — they can pop and jump out of the pan as they heat, so stand back. If you can’t find large flakes of dried coconut (also sometimes called chips), you can substitute shredded coconut, as long as it’s unsweetened. But ground coconut will be too fine to add the necessary texture.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes or chips

  • 2 ½ tablespoons coconut oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 2 (¼-inch-thick) coins fresh ginger

  • 1 teaspoon mustard seed

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • Large pinch red pepper flakes

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 5 large basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

  • 1 pound green or wax beans, trimmed

  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

  • ⅓ cup chopped roasted cashews (salted or unsalted, to taste)

  • Cooked rice, for serving

  • Lime wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

31 grams carbs; 326 calories; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 21 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 439 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add coconut flakes and toast, shaking pan occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer flakes to a bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oil in the same skillet. Add garlic, ginger, mustard seed, turmeric, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in basil, green beans and salt. Toss well to coat in oil and seasonings.

  4. Step 4

    Add ⅓ cup water, cover partly and reduce heat to medium. Cook until beans are tender, about 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated and the beans are wilted and lightly colored. Toss in cashews and coconut flakes. Serve over rice, with lime wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
547 user ratings
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Comments

Meri

I'm assuming the mustard seeds are the black/brown variety. If you can get to an Indian market, make the effort to buy and use curry leaves in place of the basil and bay leaf. (I've also seen them in some Whole Foods stores lately.) They have such a wonderful fragrance and flavor.

Bha

The recipe is good!
In indian cooking the mustard seeds are added first and after they pop the garlic , ginger etc are added.
Here the garlic may burn if you wait for the mustard to pop.( or the moisture in ginger and garlic may not allow the mustard to pop properly)

John

Unfortunately, I didn't have any coconut chips handy, but the recipe looked so good that I had to try it anyway. When I announced dinner, I discovered that my spouse of 30 years dislikes green beans (I probably had heard this a number of times, but you know how it goes...). She ended up having seconds on the green beans and told me she'd love to try them again sometime. So, complete success.

Canadian Cookie

Delicious with great flavours. Cooked as directed except mustard seeds first as suggested and a bit less salt. Threw in a few curry leaves as suggested. Next time will reduce oil a bit and make sure my cashews are more deeply roasted. The coconut chips and cashews really add to the dish.

Mimi

has anyone used frozen green beans? does it change the cooking time?

BeulahMae

Fantastic!

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