Asem-Asem Buncis: Tamarind Green Bean Soup with Beef Broth
This tamarind-flavoured soup is a perfect balance of sweet and sour. Although green beans are the main ingredient, the soup is given warmth and fullness with beef trimmings or beef chunks.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 15 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 300 gr green beans, cut into 3 cm lengths
- 200 gr baby corn, cut into 2 cm lengths
- 500 gr beef trimmings or chunks of beef
- 7 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 50 gr tamarind
- ⅓ tsp shrimp paste (optional)
- 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
- 4 cm galangal, bruised
- 1.5 ltr water
- 5 tbs sweet soy sauce
- Sugar to taste
- Salt to taste
- 2 red tomatoes, quartered
- 10 bird’s eye chillies
- 3 tbs vegetable oil
Instructions
- 1
Place all the tamarind in a small bowl, add ⅓ cup of water, rub the tamarind to dilute it in the water to make tamarind juice. Sieve the juice using a fine strainer, then keep aside.
- 2
In a pan, put the beef, salt and water, then cook on high heat until it boils. Once it’s boiled, lower the heat to a small-medium flame. Cover the pot and continue cooking.
- 3
Put the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute the sliced garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, galangal and bay leaves until fragrant, around 4 minutes.
- 4
Add the sautéed spices to the soup.
- 5
Add tamarind juice, sweet soy sauce, sugar and salt to the soup.
- 6
Simmer the soup further for around 45 minutes or until the meat is tender. Adjust the seasoning. It should be a balance of sweet, sour and salty.
- 7
When the soup is ready, add the green beans, baby corn and bird’s eye chillies. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- 8
Add the tomatoes and turn off the heat.