The British summer would somehow be incomplete without our tender, young, glistening broad beans. I love them as they are and generally prefer not to cook them, but they are perfect in this simple south Indian dish. I feel the need to grate fresh coconut to go with these beans to retain their inherent freshness and there is a simple, inexpensive gadget called a coconut scraper that helps me do this in minutes. If you are a coconut fan, it is well worth investing in one for beautiful, fluffy, sweet coconut flesh. This is a great side dish to accompany any summery meal or a quick protein snack, and you can even make it out of season using frozen beans.

Serves 2

1 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil

1 ⁄2 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 ⁄2 tsp cumin seeds

1 ⁄2 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp chopped fresh ginger

1 green chilli, left whole

200g fresh or frozen broad beans,

podded and thawed if using frozen

salt, to taste

40g grated fresh coconut

8 fresh curry leaves, torn in half

Heat the oil in a pan, add the seeds and fry for 30 seconds. Add the onion, ginger and green chilli and cook for about 4 minutes over a lowish heat until the onions have softened.

Add the beans, salt and a splash of water and cook for 1 minute to warm through. Stir in the coconut and torn curr y leaves, turn the heat down, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Give the pan a stir and serve.

Coconut mackerel curry

Anjum Anand's brand new book Indian Food Made Easy (Quadrille, £14.99) is available from Times BooksFirst for £13.50 (free P&P) call 0870 1608080 or visit timesonline.co.uk/booksfirst

For more information on Anjum visit: www.anjumanand.co.uk

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