Green bean salad with chicken (lawar)

This is arguably the most traditional dish in Bali. Every village has its own version of this delicious salad. Red lawar is the traditional ceremonial dish to which pigs blood is added for the red colour.

• makes

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 cups snake beans, cut in ½ cm slices.
• 250 g chicken mince
• ½ cup fresh coconut, roasted
• 1 bali lime or ½ lime, juiced
• dried onion flakes, for garnish

Chicken spice paste

• 2 large red chillies               
• 13 g ginger, peeled and chopped
• 20 g lesser galangal (kencur), chopped
• 10 g tumeric, chopped
• 25 g galangal (Laos), chopped
• 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
• 6–8 eschallots, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 g coriander seeds
• 3 candlenuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp light palm sugar
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 tsp white peppercorns
• 10 g roasted shrimp paste
• salt, to taste
• 100 ml canola oil, for frying

The minced chicken in this recipe can be replaced by beef, pork or shredded young jackfruit. Using fresh coconut will make all the difference to this dish.

Instructions

Break open the coconut and remove the white flesh. Cut into chunks and toast it under the grill. When it is cool, shave it and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Chop all the ingredients for the spice paste very finely and combine in a mortar and pestle and pound to paste. Fry off the spice paste in 2 tbsp of oil for about 3 minutes. Add 2 finely chopped dry bay leaves, mix well and set aside.

Boil water in a saucepan, add 1 tsp of salt and place the chicken mince into the water to cook for about 5–8 minutes.  Break any lumps of meat so that it is cooked thoroughly. When cooked, remove mince with a slotted spoon and place in bowl.

Using the chicken stock from the meat, bring to boil again and put in the chopped snake beans. Blanch for about 2 minutes. (Do not overcook, beans should be crunchy.) Drain the beans and add to chicken.

Add the spice paste to the beans and chicken and mix thoroughly with your hands. Mix through half a cup of shaved coconut, squeeze the juice of half a lime over the mixture and sprinkle with dried onion flakes and serve.

Serve with steamed rice.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.