Thoran, a simple side dish from Kerala cuisine, is a mildly spiced sauté of finely chopped vegetables with grated coconut. This is one of those few Indian dishes that don’t require many spices or a lot of oil.
Kerala is a state in the southern part of India, known for its beaches, backwaters, tropical climate and exotic food. Also called ‘upperi’ in Malabar region of Kerala, thoran is a regular in every Malayalee house (The local language in Kerala is Malayalam and the local people are called Malayalees). Hailing from a Malayalee family, whenever we have a Kerala ‘oonu’ or rice meal, there is always either a thoran or a mezhukkupuratti, or both – the unavoidable veggie portion of our meals! Thoran is also a typical sadhya dish for the festive Onam and Vishu seasons.
In this post, the thoran is made from ‘achinga payar’ or long beans. But, you can make thoran using any vegetable – cabbage, carrot, beetroot, green beans, snake gourd (padavalenga), green papaya, moringa leaves, spinach, amaranth leaves (cheera), and so on. Whichever vegetable you use, one indispensable ingredient is grated coconut – this is what makes a thoran a thoran 🙂 We, Malayalees, are well known to use coconut in all forms in our dishes! And why not? Coconuts are everywhere in Kerala, and they are yum! Period.
Are long beans (achinga payar) the same as green beans?
No, they are not the same. When I was small, I always got confused between green beans and achinga payar. My mom always corrected me, but I kept making the same mistake and interchanging the names. Achinga payar is a green vegetable that looks a lot like green beans but is longer and pencil-thin. The vegetable has many names – it is also called valli payar or pacha payar in Kerala. In English, it’s called yardlong beans, Chinese long beans, snake beans, asparagus beans or simply, long beans.
Achinga payar / long bean is a fast growing annual plant that is most widely grown in hot and humid regions like South Asia, South-East Asia and southern China. They are usually picked before they reach full maturity to be eaten as a green vegetable.
I always buy long beans whenever I see a fresh stock in the supermarket. My mom loves it! She gets super excited when she sees really fresh ones. A fresh bunch of achinga payar makes her so happy you’d think she got a bouquet of flowers! 🙂 It’s kinda cute!
Growing up, I had had these beans only in thoran and mezhukkupuratti. It was when I started exploring more cuisines that I found out it can be used in many other kinds of dishes as well (like omelettes!) and that it can also be eaten raw (in some Asian salads)!
Nutritional benefits of Achinga payar / Long beans
Achinga payar / long bean is a very low calorie vegetable – 100g of long beans contain just 47 calories. It is also an excellent source of proteins, fibre, folic acid, vitamins A & C and several minerals including iron, manganese, magnesium, … – basically everything from the periodic table (just kidding!)
How to cook thoran
Thoran is a simple, quick and healthy way to include vegetables in your diet. The only time-consuming part is chopping. If you have a chopper or food processor, that problem gets solved. Although, for beans and achinga payar thoran, I prefer hand-chopped veggies. My dad chops them so beautifully – every piece is the same size, it’s art! My husband was in his training phase, but now I can say proudly – he is a great achinga payar ‘chopper’! He chopped long beans for the thoran you see in the photos! Isn’t it pretty?? He says it’s relaxing to chop long beans for thoran 🙂 Lucky me!
Thoran requires very little oil (almost none). Vegetables are sautéed and cooked in a closed vessel. The steam from the natural water content in the vegetable or from a few splashes of water added is what cooks the vegetable.
At home, we cook achinga payar thoran in 2 ways: a stove-top method and another in which the vegetables are partially cooked in a microwave oven. I use both methods, but tend to lean towards the microwave oven method on busy days. Just pop it into the microwave oven and do some other work while it gets cooked – maybe prepare ingredients for another dish or so.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
- Mathanga Erisheri (Kerala Pumpkin curry)
- Potato Carrot Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti / Stir-fry
- Pineapple Pulissery (Pineapple in seasoned buttermilk with coconut)
- Instant Green Apple Pickle
Achinga Payar Thoran / Long Bean and Coconut Saute
Ingredients
- 500 g Achinga Payar / Long Beans
- ¾ cup Grated Coconut
- 4 or 5 nos Garlic Cloves
- 2 nos Green Chillies
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Salt adjust to taste
- ¼ tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp Oil (canola / vegetable / coconut)
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut or snap off the ends of the long beans / achinga payar. Then, chop the beans fine.
- Crush the garlic cloves and green chillies in a mortar. Or, if the coconut is not grated fine, put the coconut, garlic cloves and green chillies together and crush roughly in a mixie / small blender. Don't grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Method – 1 : Stove-top cooking
- Heat oil in a wok / pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves. Sauté for around 30 seconds.
- Add the crushed garlic, green chillies, coconut. Quickly add cumin powder and turmeric powder. Stir to mix.
- Add the chopped green beans and salt. Mix everything together well with a spoon.
- Close and cook on medium heat for around 12 – 15 minutes. You generally don't need to add water to long beans as their natural water content is enough for them to get cooked. (See notes for exception.) Stir in between so that it doesn't burn.
- Stop cooking when they are tender, don't let it get mushy. Serve warm with rice.
Method – 2 : Microwave oven cooking
- Mix the chopped long beans, crushed garlic, green chillies, coconut, cumin powder, turmeric powder and salt together in a microwave-safe dish.
- Pop the dish into the the microwave oven and heat it for 10 minutes.
- Add oil to a wok / pan and heat it on the stove. Splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves. Sauté for around 30 seconds.
- Add the cooked mixture from the microwave oven to the wok, and mix well.
- Leave it on the stove for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring in between. The thoran is ready. Serve warm with rice.
Notes
This post was originally published on 19 Aug 2017 and updated on 11 Jan 2020.
This looks deceptively simple. I have always struggled with achinga thoran- either it is undercooked or a tasteless mush. Thank you for the notes on this recipe! 🙂
🙂 Thank you Bhavana! Would love to know it turns out next time!
Love the photos and the look of this dish! Unfortunately, I cannot say I have ever tasted it, but my husband loves to cook Indian cuisine and I might ask him to try and make it for us. He is also a very good vegetable chopper 😉 . Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hahaha! Always good to have such good choppers! It’s a very simple veggie dish. Hope you like it! 🙂
This recipe caught my I because I’m always looking for side dish ideas to make with chicken or fish. Definitely going to try this recipes for long bean and coconut saute.
It’s a great side dish with most things! Lemme know when you try it! 🙂
I have never heard of this dish before but it sounds delicious. I also happen to have everything except the long beans on hand…do I know what I will be adding to my grocery list!
Hope you liked it! It’s so easy to make, simple and delicious!
what a lovely healthy vegetable dish. Thanks for this recipe and explanation of what the ingredients are!
Yes, a super healthy dish! The way it’s cooked makes sure it still remains nutritious and uses very little to no oil!