The Dutch kitchen has been blessed with many foreign influences, making our palette a lot more interesting than it would have been if we’d stayed with ‘our own’ boring variations on mashed potatoes, kale and meat.

Green beans can be a bit boring as well, but if you spice them up Indonesian style like in this recipe, I promise they will become a favorite.

Chop one onion, a thumb sized piece of ginger and a big garlic clove. Sauté these together in a frying pan in some coconut or other vegetable oil. Cut about 400gr green beans and 200gr broccoli in bite-sized pieces. When fragrant, add the green beans. Cover the frying pan with a lid.

Meanwhile, combine two tablespoons of peanut butter (100% peanut, with peanut chunks) with two (or more…) tablespoons of sambal: hot Indonesian pepper paste, a good drizzle of light premium soy sauce. Taste; it should be strong and spicy. Adjust by adding more of any of the ingredients. Then water it down so it will be easy to mix in with the beans.

When the beans are almost ready, add the broccoli and close the lid again.

Add the peanut soy mixture to the beans and broccoli, then heat so all flavors can mix well and the sauce will thicken.

Let sit for as long as you can. 5 minutes will work perfectly well, overnight will make it taste super authentic.

Taste before serving and finish with ketjap medja (thick, sweet soy sauce) or manis (medium thick, sweet soy sauce), sesame oil and/or toasted sesame seeds.