Curried Coconut Green Beans

Coconut curried green beans - bright flavors with the perfect spice!

Even dinner parties can fall into a rut with the same menu items showing up as "favorites".  Recently I decided to shake things up with a new menu and Curried Coconut Green Beans from "A Spoonful of Ginger" by Nina Simonds.  They were an instant hit with my guests and I've served them many times since.

No green beans?  Try broccoli or whatever you've got on hand as the curry seasoning is divine and the sauce great with rice. I happily add this recipe to my list of "favorites" and once you try it you will too!

Curried Coconut Green Beans

2 pounds green beans

Curry seasoning

½ teaspoon dried chile flakes*

2 ½ inch piece fresh ginger

1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 T canola or corn oil

3 med red onions, thinly sliced

2 T rice wine or sake

Sauce (mix together)

1 cup light coconut milk

2 ½ T fish sauce

1 T sugar

½ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips.

Trim the ends of the green beans.  Rinse lightly and drain.

Drop the curry seasonings into the feed tube of a food processor fitted with a metal blade while the machine is running.  Turn the machine on and off to chop the seasonings evenly, mincing them to a course mixture.  Pour the curry into a bowl.

Heat a wok or large skillet, add the oil, and heat until hot, about 20 seconds.  Add the curry seasoning and red onions, stirring over medium-low heat with a wooden spoon  for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is tender and the mixture is fragrant.  Turn the heat to high, add the green beans and rice wine or sake, and stir fry about  1 minute, until the beans are a vivid green.  Add the premixed sauce and heat until boiling.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, for about 8-9 minutes, or until the beans are just tender.  Sprinkle fresh basil and toss lightly for a few seconds.  Scoop the beans and sauce into a serving bowl and serve immediately.

*The recipe as written calls for 1 ½ teaspoons dried chile flakes.  I’ve found one teaspoon to be quite spicy and ½ teaspoon just about right. 

Recipe courtesy of A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds.

Kecap Manis, what is it you ask?  It’s a thick soy sauce sweetened with palm sugar from Indonesia.  This ingredient came to my attention via an older version of Saveur magazine and I knew instantly that I had to try it.  

After a bit of "test and learn" I created this marinade for flank steak that's easy to prepare and will leave your guests raving.  Look for kecap manis in any Asian store or order online. 

Soy & kecap manis flank steak marinade

o ½ cup soy (dark is preferable)
o ¼ cup kecap manis
o 3 Tbs. vinegar (unseasoned rice or cider)
o 2 tsp. garlic, minced
o 1 Tbs. ginger (fresh or jarred)
o 1 – 2 Tbs. sesame oil (add to your taste – sesame oil can be quite strong)
o ½ c. sherry or white wine

Mix together all ingredients. Simmer 10 minutes over low-med heat. 

Cook’s notes:

• This recipe will make enough marinade for 3 lbs of flank steak. Before marinating pierce all over with a fork (both sides). Pour the marinade into a flat pan or plastic bag and add the meat. Marinate up to 24 hours.
• I used as a sauce in a basic stir fry. Delish!