This dish combines fresh green beans with a paste made of coconut and spices. It features fresh and dried hot chilis plus cumin, a great spice for balancing and strengthening digestion for all the doshas. It is balanced with cooling coconut. If you can't find some of the ingredients in your local grocery or health food store, try this online source. 

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 pound green beans, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into 1” pieces

15 curry leaves

¾ cup finely grated fresh coconut or finely shredded dried unsweetened coconut

1½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 Thai bird chili, minced

¼ teaspoon turmeric

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon urad dhal (split and hulled)

2 whole dried hot red chiles, stemmed

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Blanch and shock the green beans. Set aside.

Finely chop five of the curry leaves and put them in a medium bowl. Add coconut, cumin, chili, turmeric, and garlic, and mix well. Add enough water (about ¼ cup) to make the coconut mixture moist enough to just hold together when pinched between thumb and forefinger, then set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and urad dhal, and fry until mustard seeds pop and dhal turns light brown, about 2 minutes. Add dried chilis to the wok and fry for a few seconds.

Carefully add remaining 10 curry leaves (leaves will spatter when they hit the hot oil). Immediately add the coconut-spice mixture and sauté for a minute, until it dries out a bit and coconut is very lightly toasted.

Add green beans and salt, stirring often, until beans are coated with coconut mixture. Season with salt, to taste.