Long beans or Yard long beans stir fry is one of the simplest healthy foods that you can make. We call Long beans fry ‘Achinga payar Mezhukupuratti’ in Kerala. ‘Achinga payar’ means long beans and ‘Mezhukupuratti’ means fry.
(For those who are curious to know, Kerala is a beautiful, lush green state in South India).
I make this dish in under 30 minutes at home. And it is a really good option if you want to include green veggies in your diet. So, you will understand why I make it so often in my home.
The best part of making Long Beans stir fry is that:
- It is low calorie. Diet Watchers yaay!
- Good source of Vitamin A and C too.
- Very quick to make for busy people
- Very few and basic ingredients needed
Ways to make it:
You can change the look of your final dish by either adding green chilles or red chilly powder.
I have used red chilly powder for the long beans fry, which gives it a reddish tone. Adding green chillies will give a greenish look to the final dish. But either way, it will taste yummy.
For this dish I have used coconut bits along with sliced onions. Trust me, coconut bits will greatly enhance the fry, once its done. Crunchy goodness, I say! 🙂 Give it a try and let me know how you feel about it, in the comments section below.
Also, if you want an authentic or local flavor, use coconut oil to make it. And then, don’t forget the aromatic curry leaves !
I have kept this dish really simple and wanted the flavor of the long beans to shine through. So, I did not add any ginger or garlic to it.
Make long beans fry in combination with other veggies too. Like, potatoes, carrot, or even raw banana.
Raw banana and long beans are a classic combination to try. This is how I made Raw Banana Fry. Add long beans fry to it. It really pairs well together.
Do check out the images of every step I went through to make this simple but awesome long beans fry.
And hey! We serve this as a part of the grand feast called Onasadya. (It is the famous spread of culinary delights for Onam- the harvest festival of Kerala)
What can you serve it with:
In our home, I usually serve long beans fry for lunch or dinner, as a side dish. A warm tempered Buttermilk curry or Raw mango curry is a good combination with long beans fry or Achinga Mezhukupuratti. I call it my healthy comfort food 🙂
You can serve it with rice or chappathi (an Indian flatbread) too.
Do try this long beans fry along with your favorite meal. If you liked the recipe, please share it with your friends and family.
I have also prepared some other simple and traditional recipes. You can try it for lunch or dinner.
Sweet and spicy Inji Puli – A delicious ginger pickle infused with tamarind and jaggery.
Sour and Spicy Red Fish Curry – I made this one with Tilapia and infused it tamarind. Spicy but yummy!
Do not forget to share your experience with me in the comments section below.
Ingredients
- Dry Powdered Spices
- Others
Instructions
-
You may find a darker as well as a lighter shade of green long beans in your local grocery. For this recipe, I have used some fresh long beans that are a darker shade of green. These take a little longer to cook than the lighter green variety of long beans.
-
Wash the long beans thoroughly and cut them into small 1 inch pieces as shown. Keep aside.
-
To begin with, take some oil in a pan and add the coconut slices. You may also find these coconut slices in the frozen products section of your local grocery store.
-
Fry them till they change color to a light brown.
-
At this stage, add in onion slices or sliced shallots. Sauté them till they are slightly translucent.
-
Next, add in the pieces on long beans. Sauté them for a couple of minutes.
-
After that, put in the powdered spices, like Turmeric powder and Red chilly powder. Also, add some salt to taste.
-
Add in a few curry leaves to the long beans. Sprinkle some water over it. This will help in the cooking process. The long beans will release some water of its own too. Give it a mix.
-
Cover and cook on medium flame. Stir in between, so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. You may sprinkle some water if it begins to stick. Cook until it is tender, but not too mushy.
-
Your long beans stir fry is ready to have. Serve it hot with rice and curry. You can enjoy this simple and healthy dish with chapatti too!
Notes
- Using coconut oil gives the dish an authentic flavor.
- Do not overcook the long beans. Keeping it somewhat crisp and having a slight bite to it will give a better texture. Else they will look limp.
- Shallots are better in terms of taste. If you have shallots, go for it instead of onions.