SAMBAL GORENG BUNCIS (GREEN BEANS)

This is probably the most famous Indonesian vegetable dish – green beans sautéed in a spicy coconut sauce. The topping added here gives a lovely sweet-salty crunch. It is good sprinkled on just about anything Indonesian, including nasi, noodles and gado gado.

500g green beans, trimmed 4 tablespoons shredded, thread or grated coconut

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon flaky sea salt

1 shallot

2 cloves garlic

5cm piece lemongrass

2 tablespoons olive oil Sauce:

6 tablespoons ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)*

2 tablespoons sambal oelek (Indonesian chilli paste)*

2 teaspoons ground ginger

100ml coconut cream

Blanch beans for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Refresh under cold water.

Toast coconut in a dry pan until golden brown. Add chilli flakes and toast for another minute until fragrant. Tip onto a plate and mix in brown sugar and salt.

Finely chop shallot and garlic. Cut lemongrass in thin rings. Add to a pan with the oil and cook 5 minutes or until translucent. Add beans and toss to coat.

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl then add to the pan. Cook until warm. Serve beans and sauce topped with the coconut mixture. Serves 4 as a side dish

* These ingredients can be found in Asian food stores and some supermarkets.