Description
Sayur buncis is a flavorful Indonesian side dish with green beans and a homemade spice paste.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 14 oz green beans
- 2/3 cup coconut milk
- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaves), optional
- 1 stalk lemongrass (or 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste)
- 1 red chili pepper (such as a jalapeño)
- 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube (0.18 oz)
- 1 tablespoon kecap manis or sweet soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar (gula jawa)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground galangal
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Trim the ends from the green beans and cook them for about 6 minutes. Immediately rinse under ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.
- In a food processor, blend the shallots, garlic, red chili pepper, ground galangal, ground ginger, shrimp paste, and a splash of vegetable oil into a smooth spice paste (bumbu).
- Cook the bumbu in a wok for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the gula djawa and kecap manis (or sweet soy sauce) and stir to combine.
- Add 1/2 cup water and the crumbled vegetable bouillon cube. Also add the coconut milk. Let the sauce simmer over medium heat without a lid.
- Add the bruised lemongrass stalk and the salam leaves. Let the sauce thicken slightly for a few minutes.
- Add the green beans and let them warm through and cook a little further, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sauce has reached your desired consistency, it’s ready to serve. You can also cook the green beans directly in the sauce instead of boiling them first. This takes a little longer, about 30 minutes, but eliminates the need to precook the beans. Add extra red chili pepper to taste.
Notes
Want to thicken the sauce? Remove the lid from the pan during the last few minutes of cooking and add some fried shallots. These will help the sauce thicken very quickly.
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling, Sautéing
- Cuisine: Indonesian