Sri Lankan Green Bean Stir Fry by Flavor Blender

Sri Lankan Green Bean Stir Fry 

 Yield: Enough to serve four as a side dish 

 Cuisine: South Asian, Sri Lankan 

Sri Lankan green bean stir fry is a delicious dry green bean dish with all the flavors of a curry. It's quick and easy to make, and is a very unique way to cook beans. Packed with umami flavor too. 

Intermediate - This recipe is quick and easy, but requires some cooking expertise. This is because this stir fry is cooked at a higher heat, and a close eye is required to determine the right cook time at each stage. 

US‌ ‌based‌ ‌cup,‌ ‌teaspoon,‌ ‌tablespoon‌ ‌measurements.‌ ‌‌

Common‌ ‌Measurement‌ ‌Conversions‌.‌ ‌‌Weight‌ ‌measurements‌ ‌are‌ ‌recommended‌ ‌for‌ ‌accurate‌ ‌results.‌ ‌Measurements for this recipe are approximates, and a little variation is OK. 

Make sure to adjust chili levels to your taste. Total Time 50 minutes 

Difficulty Easy 

Serves 4 servings 

Prep: 30 minutes 

Cook: 20 minutes 

 Ingredients: 

▢2 tbsp coconut oil any cooking oil can be used ½ of a large onion sliced lengthwise into ½ cm slices ▢8 - 10 curry leaves 
▢2 serrano peppers cut lengthwise (remove seeds if you don’t want the heat from the chili peppers) 
▢3 garlic cloves roughly chopped 
▢1 inch ginger cut into strips or roughly chopped 
▢½ tsp ground turmeric 
▢1 tbsp Maldive fish see recipe notes for substitutes 

▢1 tsp sugar white or brown or even honey can be used 
▢½ tsp Sri Lankan curry powder 

▢1 tbsp chili flakes (crushed red pepper) adjust to your taste and tolerance level 
▢12 oz fresh green beans (about 350 - 400 g), sliced into 2 - 3 inch pieces 
▢¾ tsp sea salt 
▢½ cup full fat coconut milk or cream 
▢More salt to taste 
▢Extra water and/or coconut milk if needed 

Instructions: 

Heat a large 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium high to high heat. The pan needs to be hot. As the pan is heating, add the oil and onions. 

Saute the onions while the oil heats up. When the onions are starting to soften, add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves, and green chili peppers. 

Saute for a couple of minutes to soften the garlic. 

Add the turmeric, Maldive fish, sugar, curry powder, and chili flakes/crushed red pepper. 

Stir fry with the onions for 2 - 5 minutes. 

Make sure the pan returns to a high heat before adding the beans. 

Add the beans and salt. 

Stir fry over high heat for 2 - 3 minutes until the beans turn a bright green color and are coated with the spices. 

Pour in the coconut milk, and lower the heat to medium high. 

Keep stir frying, until the coconut milk has completely evaporated. 

The beans should still be bright green, and al dente in texture. 

If you want the beans to be softer, add more coconut milk or water, and cook further to soften the beans. Taste and season with more salt if needed. 

Serve with warm basmati rice. 

Tips & Tricks Beans You can use frozen green beans as well. Frozen green beans need to be cooked longer, and the end result will be soft green beans instead of crunchy. Adjust the amount of liquid, and the heat of your stove towards the end of the cooking time to make sure the beans heat through and cook properly. 

Maldive fish If you don’t have access to Maldive fish, here are some substitutes; Fish sauce - Add ½ tbsp fish sauce, plus a little salt in place of the Maldive fish and salt. Add the fish sauce when you're adding the salt. Add more salt at the end if you need more seasoning. 

Mushroom powder - You can purchase shiitake mushroom powder at some grocery stores or online. Use 1 tbsp of mushroom powder in place of the Maldive fish. Add it at the same time you would add Maldive fish in the recipe. Fresh mushrooms - Add about 100 g of sliced or chopped mushrooms along with the onions and let it stir fry. 

Sri Lankan Curry Powder - If you don’t have Sri Lankan roasted curry powder, use madras curry powder instead. Additional Notes - Used all spices as directed. No sugar. Added lime juice.