“Palya is a classic South Indian recipe usually composed of a single vegetable chopped into bite-size pieces and sautéed in oil that has been seasoned with black mustard seeds, asafetida, chile, and curry leaves” says recipe developer and cookbook author Chitra Agrawal. “The dish is then finished with lemon juice, grated coconut, and cilantro. Depending on which state in South India you are in, this same preparation is referred to by different names, such as thoran or poriyal. While seasonal produce is preferred, the combination makes even the saddest of vegetables at the back of your fridge sing. Green beans are my favorite choice, but the recipe is extremely flexible and can be applied to beets, cabbage, potatoes, and, as I recently discovered, asparagus.” Read more about palya here. To make it a full meal, serve with chitranna or plain rice, raita or yogurt, and achar. Green beans palya also pairs well with roti.
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What you’ll need
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Small Bowl
$15 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Large Skillet with Lid
$40 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
¼
1
1
1
½
1
1
4–5
¼
¾
1
Preparation
Step 1
If using ¼ cup frozen grated coconut, microwave in a small bowl in 15 second bursts or place in a colander and set under warm running water until thawed. If using ¼ cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut, place in a small bowl and pour in hot water to cover. Let sit until ready to use.
Step 2
Trim or snap off stem ends of 1 lb. green beans. Align 4–5 beans on cutting board and slice into ¼" pieces. Repeat with remaining beans.
Step 3
Combine 1 tsp. chana dal and 1 tsp. urad dal (if using), ½ tsp. black mustard seeds, and a pinch of asafetida in a small bowl. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil over medium-high. As soon as oil is shimmering, add a mustard seed. When the oil around the seed starts to sizzle or the seed starts to move, add remaining spice mixture. Cook, covering with a lid as needed to contain the mustard seeds while they are popping and stirring so mixture evenly toasts, until very fragrant and sputtering has subsided, about 1 minute.
Step 4
Reduce heat to low. Break 1 dried red chile in half and add to wok. Rub 4–5 fresh curry leaves between your fingers to release oils and add to wok. Cover immediately (the moisture from the curry leaves will cause the oil to spatter). As soon as sputtering subsides, uncover and stir to evenly coat in oil.
Step 5
Increase heat to medium; add green beans and ¼ tsp. ground turmeric to the pan and toss to combine. Mix in ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, tossing, 1 minute. Add 2 Tbsp. water and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook beans until tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 6
Uncover beans and stir in ¼ cup fresh grated coconut, thawed frozen coconut, or drained dried coconut. Cook, tossing, 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Step 7
Coarsely chop some cilantro leaves with tender stems. Stir in lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt or add more lemon juice if needed. Scatter cilantro over. Serve with Chitranna or plain rice, raita or yogurt, and achar.
Leave a Review
Reviews (18)
Back to TopDelicious. I used way more water to cool the pan when adding the beans. I cooked the chana and urad for about 7 mins in water before adding them to the recipe. They still ended up being perfectly crispy. The texture was amazing.
DH
NJ
4/17/2022
Should the chana dal and urad dal be cooked before being added?
DH
NJ
4/17/2022
This sounds wonderful, however, I do not know some of the ingredients listed here, i.e. Chana? Urod? Or Chitara? Are these spices or herbs? What are the substitutes in America? I would appreciate a response.
Nahid
Los Angeles
11/22/2021
Having traveled in south India, this is the dish I miss the most but have never seen on any American Indian restaurant's menu. I'm so glad I can finally make it at home!!
Grace A.
Boston, MA
12/22/2020
Absolutely delicious! I paired it with the chitranna which I used brown basmati rice for and added a touch of kashmiri chili powder.
Anonymous
London
8/27/2020
Victoria (if you see this!!), Yes, you use the uncooked dals. They get toasty, nutty, and crunchy when they're fried in the oil. Hope that helps!
Anonymous
8/20/2020
I really liked making this, and I paired it with the chitranna. The only substitution I had to make was I used basil leaves instead of curry leaves. I definitely think that the asafetida is required for this dish and can't be substituted. I bought chana dal and urad dal for this, but could see using some substitutions if those are difficult to find. (Though I didn't have issues finding them in an Asian Market). (I used the chana dal and urad dal straight from the package, it added some nice crunch to the dish.)
Anonymous
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
8/20/2020