French beans Indonesian style

Sambal goreng buncis

This spicy dish made of French beans as the main ingredient, has it's roots on the Indonesian island of Java. It is prepared in a hot sauce of tomatoes, chilis and coconut. This dish is also suited for vegetarians.

Serves: 4 - 6 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Ready in: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh / dried red chilies, thinly sliced (you can discard the seeds if preferred)
• 2½ cm (1 inch) galangal
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 g (1 lb) green beans, stems removed and cut into 1? pieces
• 1 tomatoes, cored and cut into 10 wedges
• 150 ml (5 oz) water
• 150 ml (5 oz) coconut milk
• 1 tsp palm sugar (can be substituted with dark brown sugar)
• ½ tsp salt

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, chilies, galangal, and bay leaves for about 5-7 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the garlic and shallots starts to turn golden.
2. Raise heat to medium, add green beans and tomatoes, stir to combine for about 2 minutes until the green beans are starting to soften and cooked.
3. Add water, coconut milk, palm sugar, and salt. Stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Stir occasionally, don’t allow the coconut milk to boil or it may curdle. The beans should be soft but slightly crunchy. Adjust the salt if necessary.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl. Discard the galangal and bay leaves.

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Bean Sprouts Soup with Compressed Rice

Lontong Balap

Lontong Balap is one of traditional meal from East Java, very popular, especially in Surabaya. According to its name consist of slices of lontong (compressed rice), added with bean sprouts soup, fried tahu (fried tofu), lentho, sweet soy sauce, and sambal petis.

Why it is called lontong balap (Balap in English mean Race)? This name emerges from the style of lontong balap merchant in the past. All merchant used the big bamboo stick accommodating two clay frying-pans. Big size measure, it is clear weight shouldered. As a result, the merchant have to quicken its journey, provoking race. Since then, the term of lontong balap was emerged. I like it very much. When I was still in Surabaya, I had it almost every week for breakfast or lunch. I can easily get it. But here, no one is selling it. So I have to make it by myself. And my mother gave me the recipe how to make it.

This meal is a perfect dish for one who doesn’t eat meat (vegetarian). However, I was very surprised my hubby likes it. He said when he ate it, it tasted like eating rice with vegetables and meat.

Category: Vegetables

Difficulty: Easy

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

For broth

- 100 g beef meat

- 3 shallots or half of medium red onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 block beef seasoning mixture/beef bouillon (Maggi or Knorr block)

- Pinch of pepper

- 250 g of bean sprouts

- 1 stalk of celery leaf

- 2 tablespoons of fried shallot

- 500 ml of water

For Lentho

- 100 g of red soya bean

- 50 g of tapioca flour

- 30 g granted coconut

- 1 teaspoon coriander

- 3 shallots

- 2 cloves of garlic

- A pinch of pepper

- salt to taste

For Sambal Petis

- 1 cloves of garlic

- 5 bird's eyes chillies

- 2 tablespoons of dried shrimp paste (petis udang)

- 1 tablespoons of water

- 1 teaspoon of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

Additional Ingredients

- Lontong (compressed rice), check the recipe here.

- 200 g fried tofu

- Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

- 2 tablespoons of fried shallot for garnish

Directions

A. The broth

1. Boiled the beef meat with 500 ml water until you get the beef broth. Take out the meat.

2. Blend or grind the shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Then heat the oil and sauté the paste until fragrant.

3. Put the fried paste into the broth; add beef seasoning mixture/beef bouillon. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Then add the celery and the bean sprout. Let it cook for few minutes. Don't cook it too long because it would make the bean spout overcooked (too soft)

B. Lentho

1. Bring to boil red bean. Cook until its soft enough. When it's cooked, take out from the water and let it cold.

2. Grind or blend the shallots, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper into paste. Then add the red bean and smashed coarsely.

3. Then add the tapioca flour and the granted coconut. Mix well all the ingredients.

4. Form into oval small dough. Fry in deep wok over medium heat until crispy. Remove from the pan. Cut into pieces before serve.

C. Sambal Petis

1. Fry the garlic and the chillies. Set aside.

2. Then blend or grind them with dried shrimp paste (petis udang). Add the water and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), mix them.

D. Serve

In a plate, cut lontong into small pieces, then add the bean sprout, lentho, fried tofu and garnish fried shallot. Pour the broth, and then drizzle with sweet soy sauce. If you like it spicy, add the petis sambal.

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Surabayanese Mixed Salad with Shrimp Paste Peanut Sauce

 

Rujak Petis Surabaya

Actually real version of this dish is Rujak Cingur, but since I didn't use any cingur (cow's nose that is :P) I couldn't use the same title.

For 4 persons

Ingredients:
- 100gr bean sprout
- 100 gr water spinach
- 150 gr long beans
- 1 block of tofu
- 1 block of tempe
- 1 cucumber
- 1 jicama
- 1 mango
- 1 pineapple
- Shrimp cracker
- Rice cake

For the Sambal Petis:
- 100gr fried peanuts
- 2 bird's eye chili (less or more depending on your taste buds)
- 1 tsp tamarind water
- 2-3 tbs petis udang (shrimp paste)
- 1/2 tsp terasi (dried shrimp paste)
- Some shredded palm sugar
- Some water
- Salt

Directions:
- Cut, cleaned and blanced the vegetables.
- Cut and deep fried tofu and tempe.
- Cut and cleaned the fruits.
- Pound the sambal petis ingredients in a pestle and mortar. Adjust the taste to your liking.
- In a plate put some rice cake, vegetables, tofu and tempe, fruits. Topped with sambal petis.
- Served with shrimp crackers.

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