sambal goreng string beans

sambal goreng boontjes
Originally uploaded by kattebelletje.

This dish I enjoy a lot lately: sambal goreng boontjes; string beans, Indonesian style. Sambal is the Indonesian chili paste, and goreng means to fry, so any dish starting with 'sambal goreng' is basically a slow fried chili and spices affair with vegetables or meat. Although you can make it yourself with a mashed mixture of fresh chili peppers, shredded oinion and garlic and some other spices (will try soon to make it from scratch), it is extremely easy to make with a prefab boemboe [spice paste], which you can buy easily in the Netherlands - it is for sale in supermarkets and in Asian special stores. There are a couple of brands available, but I always buy the Koningsvogel brand; they come in round packaging of 100 grams and one packet is ample to make one dish. They keep forever, too. So: fry 400 to 500 grams of fresh string beans in a wide pan (or use the frozen kind to make this dish even simpler) and add a little water, stir around until half done. Then add one tin of sambal goreng mixture and stir to combine. Put heat on low and let simmer for at least 15 minutes, until beans are done. You can add extra sambal for a hotter flavour. Have it with rice and Indonesian meatloaf and all those extras like fried onions and seroendeng (spiced dried coconut and peanut mixture). Easy for big parties, too.