Squash and String Beans with Coconut Milk

I went out to look for shrimp in a nearby market place since hubby’s not yet having an off day so we can’t go in the grocery yet. Anyway I was not successful finding shrimps since what was available that time was small shrimps and they are dried. So what I did was just snoop my fridge and found out that I still have enough amount of shrimp paste in a bottle and I can use the remaining beef since we don’t eat pork.


Squash and String Beans


Most Filipino dishes sauté pork for their dish and since I needed to skip on that, I can only use beef meat and it has no difference at all in this meal. About the coconut milk, I can’t get to buy the regular coconut and scrape it manually which is too much burden for me, so I opted to buy a readymade mix which is in powder form.

By the way, I intentionally made those product labels blurred since I am not advertising any and I don’t get paid for such. Besides, you are the one to select your own brand to use for an ingredient. So here is the sample instruction of how to prepare Squash and String beans with coconut milk.

Ingredients:

Squash
String beans (not French or green beans)
Onion
Garlic
Shrimp (optional)- what I have was beef meat here
Coconut milk
Salt
Pepper
Fish sauce
Ground black pepper
Green chili
Oil
Water

Other Ingredients needed for this recipe


Methods / Preparation on How to cook Squash and String Beans with Coconut Milk

Step 1: In a hot oil, fry the shrimp (if you’re using shrimp) in oil before you sauté it with garlic and onions. But if you are using beef meat or pork meat, then put small quantity of water first, let it boil and drain before you put oil to sauté it with garlic and onions.

Step 2: Since I needed my recipe a bit spicy hot, I usually put the green chilies for sautéing and then next will be your shrimp paste before you put the squash. Some would put their veggies first before the shrimp paste, but as for me, I do want to sauté my shrimp paste first before placing my veggies.

Step 3: If you have cut the squash a bit thicker, then place them first before the string beans. Else if not, then just put the string beans ahead of the squash since this veggie takes time to cook before the squash.

Squash and string beans with Coconut milk



Step 4: Once your veggie is in, you can now put the coconut milk and put a bit of water (not too much) since veggies can give out water too. Put into medium flame and let the veggies be cook for about 10 minutes, but please check your squash, if it was cooked already and your string beans still stiff, you better remove those squash and place them back again once your string beans are done. You don’t want to smash those squash right?

Step 5: You can put salt and ground black pepper to taste. I also prefer to use fish sauce for this recipe so it’s up to you which one should you like to include.

Note: You can also try to use dried anchovies in this recipe, but see to it that you put the dried anchovies; right after you put the veggies.