COOL AS A COCONUT
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Balinese coconut salad is a dish beautifully suited for the height of summer.
BY JAMES NORTON
If you’ve ever eaten dinner on the patio at Hai Hai on a sweltering summer day, you know what I mean when I write that there may be no cuisine better adapted to the fiery depths of late July than Southeast Asian in general and perhaps Balinese in particular. Bold bright flavors embrace the heat, crisp greens push back against it, and layers of subtly spiced, earthy, complex, tropical nuance make every bite compelling. Some months ago I wrote in my cookbook review Substack, THE COOKBOOK TEST, about the book Coconut & Sambal: Recipes From My Indonesian Kitchen by Lara Lee, one of the many intriguing tomes I’ve picked up at the excellent Moon Palace Books in South Minneapolis. Among other terrific finds, Coconut & Sambal has a Balinese salad that has become one of my hot weather favorites.
If you’re going to try making this (and I highly recommend that you do) you may need to find a trusty Asian grocery store to supplement your favorite co-op. You’ll be able to buy your shallots in bulk, locate palm sugar and galangal more easily, and potentially find makrut limes and their leaves. I recommend Ha Tien Super Market in St. Paul (1959 Suburban Ave), but there are many such stores scattered throughout the metro and they all tend to cover the bases.
BALINESE COCONUT LAWAR SALAD
Serves 4
James Norton / Heavy Table
1 long red chili, deseeded and thinly sliced on the diagonal
180g green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1cm pieces
100g frozen edamame (removed from pods)
100g sugar snap peas in pods, cut into thin matchsticks
2 makrut lime leaves, stems removed, chopped finely
1 lemongrass stalk, outer woody layers removed, chopped finely
60g unsweetened desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp fried shallots (see below)
Handful of cilantro, lightly chopped
Zest and juice of 2 makrut or standard limes
3/4 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Spice paste
Ginger, about 30g, peeled
Galangal, about 30g, woody stem removed
3 garlic cloves, peeled and ends trimmed
4 Thai shallots (or 2 standard shallots), peeled
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Place the spice paste ingredients into a food processor and blend to a paste. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the paste for about 10 minutes until fragrant, making sure it doesn't burn. Remove and let cool. Mix the spice paste with the coconut.
Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan and cook the chili until softened and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the beans, edamame, and sugar snap peas for 1-2 minutes until they are crisp, tender, and bright green. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then mix with the kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass. Mix the spice paste and coconut into the greens, add the fried shallots, and cilantro, and mix it all together. Add the fried chili to taste, then season to taste with lime zest and juice, sugar, and salt.
James Norton / Heavy Table
FRIED SHALLOTS
There's not much to fried shallots, and I'm OK with that - thinly slice 500g of shallots, heat up vegetable oil in a skillet to about 290 F, brown the shallots for about 10-15 minutes (until about half are turning brown), then take them off the heat and let them hang out and keep browning before slotted spooning them onto paper towels and storing them in a jar in the fridge. They’re remarkably versatile and can be sprinkled onto almost anything.