Keep it simple…

I think I have said it a few times before that Foochow cuisine, what we had here in Sibu in the 50’s and 60’s and maybe even later, was notorious for being bland or tasteless with the emphasis on it being cheap and substantial – quantity over quality, that is…but there was a very good reason for that. The people in those days were not rich (or they were but still, they would scrimp and save…and some even had to send money home to their family members back in China) and they had to work very very hard. Thus, they would want to eat something really filling that would last them the whole day or half a day, at least. Hence, servings were huge and steamed paos (dumplings), for instance, would be very big but mostly skin and had very little meat inside.

Likewise, at home, my mum would cook vegetables with minimal ingredients and needless to say, those would not be my favourite. I did not mind anything fried with sambal udang kering/hay bee (dried prawns) e.g. paku or midin (wild jungle ferns) or masak lemak (cooked with coconut milk) but I remember forcing myself to swallow some of the rest such as long beans fried with garlic or french beans…

…cooked likewise. Well, children in those days were seen, not heard so if that was what we were having that day, we would just have to eat – no questions asked, no complaints entertained.

It seems, however, that these days, there is a shift to that kind of simple cooking or so I’ve noticed as in the restaurants, they will ask you whether you would like the vegetable “ching chau” and if I’m not mistaken, it means that it would be fried plain with garlic and whether they would use any sauce or not, I am not too sure. However, when vegetables are cooked like that, one would be able to enjoy its fresh and natural taste without it being drowned out by all the ingredients – all the seasonings, herbs, spices and what not used.

Anyway, to get back to those french beans, my mum and even my missus would cut them into lengths of 1-2 inches and cook. I never like them that way as they have a certain kind of smell peculiar to french beans and that would put me off. When I cook them, I would slice them diagonally very very thinly like this…

Of course, if you have never cooked french beans before, do remember to cut off the ends of each bean and pull out the “thread” that runs along the spine of the vegetable…

One thing about slicing them thinly like this is that you may be able to spot something that is not so desirable inside the bean…

…and you will be able to cut out the offensive section and throw it away or else you may be cooking that and eating it without your knowledge.

To fry the beans, I would need some garlic – peeled, sliced and chopped till fine like this…

…and of course, the more you use, the more fragrant the end result would be. I would say two to three cloves would be fine.

Heat a bit of oil in the wok and fry the chopped garlic till golden brown…

…before adding the sliced french beans…

…and mixing them well together.

Usually, after slicing the beans, I would rinse and wash them thoroughly in water – I wonder if that explains why the french beans that I cook do not have that unpleasant smell. Drain the beans well…and when you throw the whole lot into the wok, there would be enough moisture to cook the beans so you would not need to add any more water for this purpose – that would probably affect the taste adversely, I would think.

Add a pinch of salt and msg according to taste…and then, break an egg or two into the wok…

Break the yolk(s) of the egg(s) and mix it thoroughly with the beans.

Once the egg is cooked, your dish is ready to be served…

Of course you are free to add anything you want. Maybe you would choose to use some ikan bilis (dried anchovies) or udang kering/hay bee (dried prawns) or add sliced fresh chilies which would certainly bring the taste to a whole new level…but cooking it this way, simple though it may be, I assure you that it is indeed really very nice. You can taste the sweetness of the vegetable and the fragrance of the fried garlic complemented by the egg added to it. As a matter of fact, I would cook cangkuk manis this same way too – simple but nice.

Do give it a try if you have never cooked french beans this way before. You’ll love it, I’m sure!