Green Bean, Corn, and Coconut Stir-Fry (Thoren)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 
• 0.1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 15  curry leaves fresh
• 3  ears corn 
• 2  garlic cloves crushed
• 1 pound green beans thinly sliced ()
• 1 small chile fresh green such as serrano, thai, or jalapeño, slit lengthwise with stem end intact
• 0.5 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 0.8 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 0.3 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 0.1 teaspoon pepper flakes red hot
• 6 servings salt 
• 0.8 cup coconut or dried unsweetened grated
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 0.3 cup water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• wok

Directions

1. Stir together coconut, cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, chile, garlic, 1/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
2. Heat oil in a wok or 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook mustard seeds and red pepper flakes until mustard seeds begin to pop and/or turn gray.
3. Add curry leaves (if using), covering skillet immediately as they crackle for a few seconds.
4. Add green beans and corn and stir-fry 8 minutes.
5. Add coconut mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. If mixture becomes dry and begins to stick to bottom of wok, add a few tablespoons water. Season with salt.
6. •Indian ingredients can be mail-ordered from Kalustyans.com.•Chile can be removed during cooking when the thoren is spicy enough for your taste.