Name: Malaysian Fiddleheads and Fava Beans in Spicy Coconut Milk
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 12 ounces (350g) fiddlehead ferns (see notes); 6 bird’s eye chiles (about 3/4 ounces; 20g), stems removed, thinly sliced; 2 small Asian shallots (2 ounces; 57g), peeled and thinly sliced cross-wise; One 2-inch piece (6g) fresh turmeric, peeled and thinly sliced cross-wise; 1/2 ounce (15g) cleaned dried anchovies (see notes); 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom 4 to 5 inches only (about 1/2 ounce; 12g); 2 1/4 ounces (65ml) coconut milk (see note); 1 1/2 cups (360ml) water; 1 turmeric leaf, optional2 3/4 ounces (75g) sheeled and peeled fava beans (from about 1 pound fava pods), split into their natural halves; 2 3/4 ounces (75g) sheeled and peeled fava beans (from about 1 pound fava pods), split into their natural halves; 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume; 1 teaspoon sugar; Cooked white rice, for serving

Malaysian Fiddleheads and Fava Beans in Spicy Coconut Milk

Loved by Malaysians the world over, “masak lemak” is one of the most popular styles of cooking in Peninsular Malaysia and refers to cooking in coconut milk. You can prepare almost any ingredient in this style.

25 min total 10 min prep 15 min cook 4 191 cal

Instructions

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1 Trim the fiddleheads to remove any woody stem. (If using the more leafy Southeast Asian variety, trim and reserve the leaves, removing any woody steam, and chop the leaves into bite-size lengths.) Rinse under running water and set aside.
2 Using a mortar and pestle, pound bird’s eye chiles, Asian shallots, and fresh turmeric into a coarse paste, 2 to 3 minutes. Add dried anchovies and pound until crushed slightly, 10 to 15 seconds (you’re only looking to crush them slightly, not pulverize them). Place lemongrass stalk in the mortar and pound 1 or 2 times with the pestle to bruise.
3 In a medium saucepan, stir together the contents of the mortar and pestle with the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
4 When the liquid begins to bubble, add trimmed fiddleheads to saucepan. Stir, then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until leaves are just wilted, about 5 minutes.
5 Meanwhile, prepare the turmeric leaf, if using: Using a sharp knife, trim the turmeric leaf away from the spine. Stack the 2 pieces of leaf together, roll them up tightly, then slice into very thin strips.
6 Stir in fava beans, sliced turmeric leaf (if using), salt, and sugar. Cover the saucepan and cook until the beans are just tender, another 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with cooked white rice.