Stir-Fried Winged Bean with Vegetarian Belacan

Winged Beans or '4 Angles Beans' – I happened to spot some winged beans at the Prime Supermarket. I remember my mother used to stir-fry winged bean with chilli and belacan. Go for the young pods which have a chewy, crunchy texture and are slight sweet. These beans are high source of protein. Other ways do whipping up winged beans is to stir-fry with vegetarian sambal chilli or using just garlic or ginger, season with salt (which can be one of the stir-fried vegetable for Thunder Tea Rice). I omitted salt or light soy sauce as the vegetarian belacan is salty enough to season the dish.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g winged beans, sliced diagonally
° 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
° 2 thin slices ginger or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1½ teaspoons vegetarian belacan powder
° salt or light soy sauce (optional), to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till fragrant.
2. Stir in the vegetarian belacan powder in low heat. Give it two or three stirs to release its aroma and so that it can cook without burning. Add in the chilli and fry for few seconds.
3. Throw in the winged bean and stir-fry briskly for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.