Gare - Eat In

There are many variations of this dish, which can be served at any time of the day. Its very popular as a breakfast and great to make when you have leftover rice. I always keep some fresh turmeric and galangal in my freezer so I can whip this up whenever I have the urge for something really flavoursome. INGREDIENTS 60 ml (2 fl oz/ cup) peanut oil 4 red Asian shallots, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh turmeric (see Notes) 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh galangal (see Notes) 1 large red chilli, thinly sliced 1 lemongrass stem, pale part only, finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried ground shrimp 2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced (optional) pinch of ground star anise 180 g (6 oz) bacon, thinly sliced 100 g (3 oz) green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1 cm ( inch) pieces 740 g (1 lb 10 oz/4 cups) cooked rice (see Notes) 1 tablespoon kecap manis, plus extra to serve (see Notes) squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup) handful of baby spinach 4 poached or crispy fried eggs crispy shallots, to serve (see Notes) METHOD Heat the peanut oil in a wok over high heat. Add the shallots, turmeric, ginger, garlic, galangal, most of the chilli, lemongrass, dried shrimp, lime leaves (if using) and star anise, and stir-fry for a few minutes to soften. Add the bacon and green beans and stir-fry for a few more minutes to lightly cook the bacon.

Toss in the cooked rice, kecap manis and tomato sauce, and stir to heat the rice through. Add the spinach just before serving and taste for seasoning. Top with a poached or crispy fried egg, scatter over the crispy shallots and serve with the extra chilli and kecap manis at the table. NOTES You can buy fresh turmeric and galangal in Asian grocers. I buy more than I need and keep it in the freezer, but you can use ground turmeric for this if need be. I like to use basmati rice.