Green Beans with Coconut

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh green beans
3 T cooking oil
1/2 t. mustard seeds
3 broken dry red chiles
1/4 t. asafetida
1 t. salt, or to taste
1/4 c. fresh shredded coconut

1. Wash and string beans.  Cut them finely into 1/4 inch pieces.
2. Heat oil in a medium-size frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cover the pan.  Reduce heat and wait until seeds stop popping.
4. Add dry red chili pieces and asafetida and cook for another 30 seconds.
5. Add cut beans and salt.  Stir them well to coat the beans evenly with the seasoning.
6. Reduce heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook beans, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking and burning, until they are tender and soft.
7. Stir the shredded coconut into the beans and remove the pan from the heat.
8. Serve hot or cold as an accompaniment to the meal. 
 
Recipe courtesy "Six Spices: A Simple Concept of Indian Cooking," written by Neeta Saluja, published by Jones Books, 2007.