Long Bean 'Nests' Stuffed With Fish Paste

Stuffed long beans, a little overcooked.

I thought this was a very creative way of stuffing long beans. The idea was from a stall at the Waterfront which Bobby the hairdresser told us about that serves all kinds of fish paste stuffed into veggies and it's been years since we last ate there. Recently we had a late-night snack at the stall and the stuffed veggies were good although I generally don't eat commercial fish paste which is more flour and msg than fish.

Long Bean 'Nests'Stuffed With Fish Paste

12 long beans
3/4 cup home-made fish paste

1. Blanch the beans in boiling water until just flexible and plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.

2. Wind the long beans into circles and stuff the fish paste into the center and between the beans to stick them together. Tuck in the tops and the tails.

3. You can either fry the stuffed long beans in a little bit of veg oil (tasty) or boil them (healthy) until they just rise to the top of the water.

4. Make a sauce by frying sliced red onions and then add a cornstarch solution of 1 heaped teaspoon cornflour + 1/4 cup chicken stock + some white pepper and 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and add to the onions. Cook until the sauce turns transparent. Pour sauce over the stuffed long beans. Serve with a lime hot sauce.