Try this Kerala-style stirfry with yardlong beans that will complement all your vegan home-style meals or sadhya menus. The achinga payar thoran is an easy-to-master recipe flavoured with fresh coconut, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
I can say for sure that when it comes to your long-term couple goals, place companionship first before any other thoughts that come to your mind. Certainly, after a while, you just want to enjoy the company and have silly squabbles over nothing to keep your day going. We have one such love squabble topic french beans vs yard long beans. My husband grew up with more beans than yard-long beans. I love them in certain recipes over other types of beans. This becomes the beginning of our little tiffs. There is however one recipe that works with both beans and this achinapayar. Maybe the only one we agree upon if the two are interchanged and that is a thoran. So whether it is beans upperi or achinga payar thoran we both are happy with the meal.
What is achinga payar?
Often called snake beans, long padded cowpea or Chinese beans, what we fondly call achinga payar was the one that grew up with. commonly these is called yard-long beans because of the long and slender pods. The immature pods are the ones that are used as vegetables. The flavour of these beans is very similar to French beans and is often bland to a mild sweetness when cooked or steamed. Often this bean is found in the Asian grocery, especially in summer. These beans are extensively used in South Indian, Malaysian, Chinese and Indonesian cuisine.
Ingredients for achinga payar thoran
Yard long beans Select the immature pods of yard ong beans to make this recipe.
Ingredients for tempering
Flavourings
fresh coconut
Let’s make this thoran
Making a meal with thoran
The combination amma made always for any sadhya was the payar thoran with sambhar. The classic style is to have this achinga payar thoran with a Kerala-style meal preferably with matta rice and ozhichu curry or kachiya moru ( yogurt curry). The lunch box I loved was to have lemon rice with payar thoran and papadam. You can pair this stirfry with Sattu parathas and chutney too. This warm salad however you pair is great tasting and fibre rich.
Achinga payar thoran
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal
- 5 curry leaves
- 1-2 dry red chillies
- 2 bunches yard long beans thinly sliced.
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup grated coconut
Instructions
- Top and trim the beans, string the beans , wash and pat dry the beans.
- Into a frying pan on medium heat add the coconut oil.
- As itheats up add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle
- Addthe urad dal, broken bits of dry red chillies and curry leaves and fry these till aromatic.
- Now add he thinly sliced yard long beans and stir fry.
- Spinkle a bit of salt, add the 1/4 cup of water , cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, mix and chcek the beans for doneness.
- Now sprinkle the freshly grated coconut. stir fry for another 2 to 3 minutes till the water is evaporated
- The warm stirfry is now ready to serve with rice and curry.
Collaboration
I have been regularly contributing to the A-Z ingredient challenge group. As it is nearing a close, this challenge has induced me to try some new ingredients and also bring forth some amazing recipes that we cherish. It has been such a fun journey, I wish there were more alphabets. As of now, we have Y for yard-long beans. Hope you will love to try this recipe from Kerala cuisine.
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I am a great fan of Thorans / poriyals. They pair so well with dal chawal and curd rice. We cook these beans with masala but I must try out thoran. Never thought of using them this way.
We absolutely love yard-long beans at home, and this poriyal is an all-time favourite. Can have this any day with piping hot rice and some sambar or rasam. 🙂
Love yard long beans, I usually prepare it turai. Love this simple Kerala style, something different to try out. Achinga payer thoran is definitely on my list to try.
WoW I loved this beans but we don’t easily get in my place, it’s famous in north India. This looks absolutely delicious, we usually make sabzi with it. Thanks for sharing your recipe, now we can cook beans this simple style also. I must try out thoran.
Yard long beans are our family favourite as well and we make a similar stir-fry with it. I am sure your version has a distinct nutty taste and aroma from Coconut.
just made this today with some arichuvitta vengaya sambhar, and boy, like you mentioned, it was totally yum!! the thoran looks fab, Seema !
Lovely memories from when we visited your place and had these with garden grown ones.
It’s been a long time I made thoran with yard long beans. It tastes good with any meal. I will make it during this week.