Coconut Cilantro Bean Curry

Savory recipes that use (unsweetened) coconut are awesome!  See, for example, shredded brussels sprouts with coconut, hyderabad cauliflower, hyderabadi eggplant, and baingan bharta... and now this recipe from vegventures.

In making this recipe, I used way more cilantro and a bit more heat than were called for (I also used fresh chilies instead of chili powder).  The flavors were good, but the texture was so dry, especially with all the coconut.

So, a bit like when I transported the filling from stuffed collards into a kind of sushi roll, I seriously tweaked my leftovers into a soupier curry by simmering them in a mixture of coconut milk and stock.  Perfect!  Most of the liquid cooked off, but I was left with a curry that was moister and richer.

Coconut Cilantro Bean Curry (without and with sauce ingredients)

(from vegventures)

Ingredients

3 TB vegetable oil
4-5 crushed garlic cloves

1/2 to 1 whole green chili, w/seeds

1.5 TB cumin (yes, TB)
1.5 TB coriander (-”-)
1 TB turmeric (-”-)
1/4 c fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
1.5 c desiccated coconut
1.5 c cooked (or canned) black-eyed beans (I used black beans)
1.5 c cooked and cubed potatoes

salt to taste
lime or lemon juice to taste

optional: 1 c coconut milk, 1 c vegetable stock

Instructions

1. Heat the oil on a pan and fry the garlic and chili for 30 seconds. Add all the other spices and sauté, stirring, for 1-2 minutes more. Add all the other ingredients except lime juice (and optional sauce ingredients) and mix.
2. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently (the curry is so dry that especially if you don’t have a non-stick pan it might burn, since the the ingredients quickly soak up the oil). Optional: add coconut milk and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5-10 more minutes.  Serve hot.  Serves about three.