Green Bean White Curry Bonchi Suthu Curry

In Sri Lanka, climbing or runner beans are called bonchi in Sinhala. Th e tender pods are cut into thin strips or small pieces and either tempered in oil with spices or prepared with a bit of coconut milk as a curry. Th is is a simple, almost overlooked side dish, but is very tasty and a nice accompaniment to ghee rice (page 57), chicken curry (page 111), fried beetroot, and tomato, cucumber, and red onion salad (page 137). • Most of the vegetable curries in this book benef i t from sitting for a few minutes, but before serving I recommend giving them a quick stir to combine any ingredients that may have settled on the bottom of the dish.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Cut the tips and tails from the beans, remove the strings, and halve the beans, slicing them on the diagonal.

Step 2

Put the beans, onion, chilies, curry leaves, turmeric, and salt to taste in a pot with 1 cup water (just enough to cook the beans). Cover, bring to a boil, turn down the heat to medium, and continue cooking. When the beans are cooked (f i rm yet cooked through), add the coconut milk and more salt, if desired, and stir to ensure ingredients are mixed. Squeeze the lime wedge over top and stir to combine. Remove from the heat until ready to serve.