Plantain Strips and Yard-Long Beans with a Shallot Sauce

Name: Plantain Strips and Yard-Long Beans with a Shallot Sauce (Vazhaipazham Avarai Kari)
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1½ teaspoons rock salt; 1 large, very firm green plantain (about 8 ounces); 2 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise (do not remove the seeds); 4 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt; 2 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2½ inches long, 1 inch wide, and ⅛ inch thick), cut into matchstick-thin strips (julienne); 1 small red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced; 2 medium-size shallots, coarsely chopped; 12 to 15 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves; ¼ cup finely chopped fresh coconut (see Tip); 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; 4 medium-size cloves garlic; 4 cups cut-up yard-long beans (2-inch pieces); ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 tablespoons coconut oil or canola oil

Vazhaipazham Avarai Kari

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

Waxy plantains and juicy green beans shine in a potent shallot-chile sauce that’s made more interesting with fresh coconut “chips.” I recommend serving this over the steamed rice nests called Idiappam for a downright tasty meal.

Ingredients

1 large, very firm green plantain (about 8 ounces)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher or <

Asia
India
Main course
Side dish
Vegan
Gluten-free

Method

Cut a ¼-inch slice off both ends of the plantain. Cut the plantain in half crosswise. Using a paring knife, make a lengthwise slit, ⅛ to ¼ inch deep, in each half. Wedge your fingers just under the slit and peel off the skin in one easy motion. (You can peel the entire skin with a paring knife, but it will be slightly more time-consuming.) Cut the light beige flesh into thi