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1
Drain the soaked jengkol beans and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil and cook until the beans are fully tender throughout — a skewer should meet no resistance at the centre.
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2
Drain the cooked beans. In a wide heavy pan over moderate heat, sweat the shallots and garlic until they are soft, translucent, and beginning to colour at the edges.
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3
Add the nutmeg and cloves to the pan. Stir for a brief moment until the spices are fragrant — their warm, resinous scent should be clearly present in the steam rising from the pan.
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4
Add the drained jengkol beans and the kecap manis. This is where the dish lives or dies: the beans must braise in the kecap manis long enough for the sweet soy to penetrate and coat every piece, drawing out the sulphur aroma and replacing it with a deep, sweet, savoury lacquer — the stew is ready when the sauce has reduced to a glossy, clinging consistency and the aggressive sulphur note has given way to a rounded, comforting smell.
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5
Taste the braising liquor: it should be sweet, savoury, and warmly spiced in balance, with no raw sharpness remaining. Adjust with a small addition of kecap manis if the sweetness is insufficient.