Mung Bean Coconut Stir fry - Cherupayar Thoran

Hi there. Today's recipe is an absolute favorite dish of mine - Cherupayar Thoran
Who knew these small green beans could be so tasty without having to meddle with it a whole lot. Simple ingredients just elevate the flavor and result in an amazing dish. Its a prefect accompaniment to Kanji (Rice Porridge).  And I personally enjoy having cherupayar thoran with just rice and a little chammanthi (chutney). Yummy!
 Now just fyi, both thoran and mezhukkupuratti recipes are stir fry side dishes. But the main difference between them is that in thoran will have grated coconut in it - mezhukkupuratti wont.

So What Do We Need?

• Mung Bean / Green Gram / Moong Dal - 1 cup ( 250 ml)

Wash and soak the beans in water preferably overnight (or about 6 hours). This will help soften the beans and reduce the cook time considerably. The next day -  you will see that the skin / shell would have come off from the bean. And I usually discard this water and the skin that has come off of the beans.

• 3 to 5 Garlic cloves - Crushed and thinly sliced - Julienne slices
• 4 to 5 tablespoon Grated Coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Chilli powder or as per your preference
• 1 Green Chilli - Chopped (Optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder or Cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon Urad dal
• 1 sprig Curry Leaves
• 4 to 5 Whole Peppercorns (Optional)
• 1 tablespoon Coconut oil - This will give extra flavor to the dish especially since we are using grated coconut.
• Salt as required

Let's Do This

1. In a pot, add the soaked beans and pour enough clean water such that all the beans are just immersed. Don't add more water because it can end up increasing the cook time.
2. Over a high flame, bring it to a boil and mix in a bit of salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Adding salt at this stage ensures that the beans are seasoned properly.
3. Check after 10 minutes if the beans are cooked -  you should be able to easily mash the beans with your fingers. If not continue boiling it and after every few minutes check if they are done. They wouldn't take too long to cook since we had soaked the beans overnight.
4. Once you find that they are cooked - you can go ahead and take it off the stove and strain out the beans with a strainer. But I prefer the beans to be a little over done  - Not to the point that it gets completely mashed - But till the beans are soft and some are split. This will make the thoran a bit mushy instead of completely dry. So totally up to you how you want it. So cook the beans accordingly.
5. Keep the cooked beans aside.
6. Now take a pan or kadai and heat oil in it over a low flame.
7. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter.
8. Then add urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let it roast a bit.
9. Add grated coconut, garlic, green chilli and peppercorns. Cook this over low flame stirring continuously. Be careful not to burn the coconut. Cook till the raw smell of garlic is completely gone.
10. Now add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and enough salt to season the coconut mixture. Mix well and cook till the spices are roasted.
11. Now add the cooked beans to coconut mixture in the pan and gently stir it.
12. Taste to check if the salt is sufficient. Add if needed and let it cook for 1-2 minutes more.
13. And you are done :)

Hope you make this recipe at home and enjoy it as much as I do. 

Cherupayar Thoran