Green Beans with Coconut Milk

Green beans are a very tasty vegetable which goes well with rice. Cooking it with coconut cream gives it a sweet taste which complements the spicier meat. Green beans are a common side dish in traditional Sri Lankan lunch.

Ingredients

• Green beans – 250g cut into 1 inch diagonal piece
• Small onion – 1 thinly sliced
• Garlic – 3 cloves chopped
• Green chilies – 1 thinly sliced
• Pandan leaves – 2 inch piece
• Curry leaves – 7 leaves
• Raw curry powder – 1 1/2 teaspoons (recepie found here)
• Turmeric – 1/2 teaspoon
• Chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon – 1 inch piece crushed
• Cardamom – 2 pods crushed
• Dried smoked tuna flakes or Maldive fish flakes – 1 teaspoon (optional)
• Coconut cream – 50ml mixed with 75ml water
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons

Method

1. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan.
2. Add cinnamon, cardomom and let them fry for 30 seconds.
3. Add onions, garlic, green chillies, pandan and curry leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes until onions are soft.
4. Add raw curry powder, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Fry for 30 seconds. Don’t let the spices burn.
5. Add the beans and mix well.
6. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
7. Add coconut cream mix and dried tuna flakes. Bring to a simmer. Be careful not to overcook the beans. They should be crunchy.
8. Turn off the heat and add lemon to taste.
9. Mix and serve.