Pork Belly Sambal with Stink Beans

This is another one of my late grandma's iconic dishes. The one that can make us eat two plates of rice. 

The thing about stink beans (petai) is you either love it or hate it. I used to hate it but now I love it. 

Some years ago, I was pleasantly surprised (in fact amused) to discover that my young nephew and niece also love petai. I would have thought that little kids would shun this smelly bean. 

Now, this bean, just like any other bean has a reputation of giving you gas. Loads of gas. The first time I cooked and ate petai, I produced enough gas to light up my neighborhood.

That evening, when I couldn't help but contribute to the global methane emission, my partner scampered to the furthest end of the sofa (obviously he couldn't get very far) to escape the noxious gasses. "Gawd!!! What did you eat???". Sorry for being gross. But that was a true story.

Then I learnt from my brother (the one who cooks) that you must soak the petai in water for about an hour before you cook it.

Ah! That's what we are advised to do before cooking any kind of beans to get rid of the chemical that induces the production of gas. Why didn't I think of that? So I wised up this time. Suffice to say, there was no calamity when I consumed my next serving of petai. All was quiet on the western front so to speak.

Now, another zinger about stink beans is their price. This 200g packet cost me RM13.75 at Aeon. So you can say that price wise, these stinkers can stand proudly amongst those beautiful berries at the supermarket aisles.

And one more thing. You will stink up the toilet after eating petai. And I'm not talking about your big business. The smell will be present in your urine in a short time after you eat the beans.

So if you are using a shared toilet, like in your office, be sure to open the windows wide after you have done your thing or else the next user might faint dead away.

Sorry. I'm being gross again. But this is stink beans and gross is an inherent nature of such topics.

If you are a fan of pork belly, sambal and petai, you will find this unholy trinity working their magic in this dish. Trust me, it's good. But please, soak the petai first.

Pork Belly Sambal with Stink Beans
Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :
- 1 strip pork belly, cut into 1 cm thickness
- 8 red chillies
- a big handful of shallots or two big onions, sliced
- 1 heap tablespoon of belacan, toasted
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste (asam jawa)
- 2 big onions, cut into rings
- 2 to 3 tbsp kayciap or sweet soya sauce
- 100g petai
- some water for simmering

Method :
1. Pound chillies, shallots and belacan until fine.
2. Heat oil in wok and saute the pounded ingredients until fragrant.
3. Add sliced pork belly and stir fry until the meat changes color. Add some water to simmer until the pork is tender.
4. Add tamarind paste and kayciap/sweet soya sauce. Stir and simmer for a short while.
5. Add petai and stir for about a minute or two and you are done!