Malaysian Sambal Eggplant and Long Bean Stir-Fry with Coconut Rice

Combine the rinsed rice, coconut milk, water and 1 teaspoon salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover, and reduce to the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for another 10 minutes to steam.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 medium globe eggplants (about 1 1/2 lb), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/2 lb long beans or green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 6 dried red chilies, soaked in hot water 20 minutes and drained
• 4 shallots, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon belacan (shrimp paste) or 1 tablespoon miso for a vegetarian version
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, for the sambal

Instructions

1. Combine the rinsed rice, coconut milk, water and 1 teaspoon salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover, and reduce to the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for another 10 minutes to steam.
2. Meanwhile, blitz the soaked chilies, shallots, garlic and belacan in a food processor to a coarse paste, adding a splash of water if it stalls.
3. Toss the eggplant chunks with 1 teaspoon salt and let them sit in a colander for 15 minutes, then pat dry. Salting draws out water so the pieces sear instead of steam.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or wide skillet over high heat. Fry the eggplant in two batches, 5 to 6 minutes per batch, turning until the cut faces are browned and the flesh has collapsed to a creamy softness. Set aside.
5. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, drop the heat to medium, and fry the chili paste for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until the raw smell disappears and the oil separates and turns brick red. This slow fry is what turns a rough paste into sambal — rushing it leaves a harsh, raw bite.
6. Stir in the tamarind, palm sugar and remaining salt and cook 2 minutes more until glossy.
7. Add the long beans and 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook 4 minutes until the beans are bright green and just tender.
8. Return the eggplant to the wok and fold everything together gently for 2 minutes so the pieces stay intact and take on the sambal's color. Taste and balance with more tamarind for sourness or sugar for roundness.
9. Fluff the coconut rice with a fork and serve alongside, spooning the sambal oil from the wok over the rice.
10. Sambal terung is a staple of Malaysian home cooking and hawker stalls alike, where late-summer eggplant and long beans arrive together in the market and end up in the same wok almost by default. The dish depends less on a recipe than on a technique — tumis, the patient frying of the spice paste until the oil splits — which Malaysian cooks judge by smell and color rather than by clock. Belacan gives it the funky depth that separates a real sambal from a generic chili sauce, though miso makes a surprisingly credible stand-in for a meat-free table.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 640 kcal
• Protein: 12g
• Fat: 31g
• Carbohydrates: 82g
• Fiber: 9g
• Sugar: 16g
• Sodium: 980mg