Delish Green Beans with Coconut

Today we are featuring a post from our friends at A Global Affair who provide wonderful content on travel and delicious recipes.

Many moons ago, when my mom had to leave for India for an extended period of time to care for my grandfather, she wrote down a bunch of recipes of the staple, time honored dishes that my family from Kerala had served for generations in their kitchen. Before I had any money to buy any sort of cookbook, these recipes became my guidepost; a primer that ensured that I would carry on creating the tastes of my mother, grandmothers, aunts and more in my kitchen. Of course, in the rush to give me these recipes, mom sometimes missed writing exact quantities or an ingredient, but they were enough of a foundation to enable me to cook.

Beans Poduthol, also called as Thoran, is a simple dish of whatever veggies are on hand, some oil and spices and lots of freshly grated coconut. It is the kind of dish that is not only super yummy and healthy, but also makes me feel with every spoonful that all will be okay in this world.

Ingredients:

  • A pound of beans, washed, destringed and cut into small pieces
  • A tbsp of oil (traditionally coconut oil is used)
  • A tsp of mustard seeds
  • A tsp of urad dal (skip if you don’t have this, it adds crunch)
  • One or two dried red chili pods broken
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • Four tbsps freshly grated coconut
When I copied mom’s recipe into my first attempt at organizing recipes.

How to:

1. Heat oil in a pan.  Fry the mustard seeds, urad dal (if using) and dried chilly pods.  When the mustard seeds start popping, add the beans, turmeric powder, salt and cumin powder and toss well.

2. Cover and cook till the beans are cooked, yet crunchy (about 10-15 minutes).

3. Add the fresh coconut and toss a few times.

Enjoy!

PS. You can prepare cabbage, spinach, carrots, and raw bananas in a similar fashion.

Some of Our Favorite Family Recipes

For whatever reason, most of our traditional family recipes seem to be ones that we make during the autumn and winter seasons. They tend to be meals that we create in large batches and either enjoy the leftovers the next day or freeze to have at a later date. Most of these were handed down from family member to family member by example and not written down. Cooking is one of those things that definitely can bring a family together, regardless of where you live or where you are from. It is probably one of the reasons why we enjoy eating traditional meals when we travel to places, because the food will also give you a sense of the people. Here are a few of our family’s recipes that we’ve posted over the past few years.

Traditional Lasagna with Garlic Bread

Meat Lasagna – We certainly enjoyed having lasagna in Rome and Florence, but our homemade lasagna is still one of our favorite meals. We also tend to make our own garlic toast to go along with it as we really like that combination. We always make a large batch so that we can have plenty of leftovers.

Homemade Chili

Red Chili – You will find many different varieties of chili as you travel throughout the southwest. From green chili to red chili, with or without meat, spicy or not spicy, they are all usually interesting and have plenty of flavor. Our version combines kidney beans and chili beans to create a very hearty meal.

Moist and Delicious Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies – We bake these cookies every year in October or November and it is a way to welcome the change in the seasons. We typically make a couple dozen and then share them with our friends, who always look forward to them as well. It is a simple recipe, but the cookies are moist and delicious.

What We Call Egg Slop

Egg and Hash Brown Potato Skillet – That isn’t the actual name of it, but egg slop doesn’t quite describe the dish. What makes this unique is the sauce that we make from chili powder and other seasonings. We have always had it for dinner, but it would make for a good weekend breakfast as well.

Cooking Our French Stew

French Stew – This is an inexpensive meal that combines fresh ingredients in a simple way to make a “stewp”. Similar dishes can be found in the countryside’s of many different countries and is typically considered to be a hunter’s stew. A hunter stew is usually made from meat, potatoes, and vegetables, whatever happens to be available at the time.

Stepping Back into History at the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia

Located on the banks of the James River in Virginia is the Jamestown Settlement, which was first permanent English colony in America. The first colonists arrived in 1607 where they lived and worked to establish a foothold on the continent. Today, the Jamestown Settlement provides visitors the opportunity to climb onboard replicas of the ships that brought the settlers on the arduous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, participate in reenactments, and see the archeological efforts that are still ongoing today.

Participating in Reenactments
You Can Ask Questions at the Exhibits

It is a great place to learn about the history of the people who ventured to the “New World” and the difficulties that they faced. The Jamestown Settlement is located near Williamsburg, Virginia and combining a visit to both locations is a great way to follow the history of the people who went from a rustic settlement with wooden buildings to the first capital city of Virginia with its mansions and cobblestone streets.

Demonstrating Firing a Rifle
You Can Climb Onboard the Ship Replicas

There are obviously plenty of restaurants, shops, and places to stay in the area. We visited many years ago at this point, when our children were old enough to appreciate the significance of the Jamestown Settlement. All these years later, it is still a location that they remember seeing and enjoying their experiences there. Admission is only $10 for anyone older than 16 and those under 16 are free, making this an easily affordable adventure for the whole family.

Making Bullets to Protect the Settlement
Learning to Fire a Cannon