Pad Prik Khing Thai Stir-Fried Long Beans with Red Curry Paste
Crisp-tender long beans tossed in a dry, fragrant red curry paste sauce with kaffir lime leaves, a touch of palm sugar and fish sauce. Ready in 20 minutes and perfect beside steamed jasmine rice.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Total
- 23 min
- Makes
- 4 side-dish servings (about 3 cups)
Steps
Before you start
- Have everything prepped and within reach before heating the wok; the stir-fry moves fast.
- Pat the beans completely dry after washing so they stir-fry instead of steam.
- Open a window or turn on the vent fan: frying curry paste is fragrant and a bit peppery.
- Start your rice first if serving with it.
Prep the beans
- Wash the long beans and dry them thoroughly with a clean towel.
- Trim the ends and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces.
- Keep the pieces similar in length so they cook evenly.
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Ready when: Beans are dry to the touch and uniformly cut.
Tip: Wet beans spatter in hot oil and steam rather than blister.
Prep aromatics
- Mince the garlic.
- Remove the tough center rib from each lime leaf by folding it and pulling the stem away, stack the leaves, roll them tightly and slice into hair-thin shreds.
- Set aside 1 leaf's worth of shreds for garnish.
- Slice the chile if using.
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Ready when: Lime leaves are sliced almost as fine as thread.
Tip: Thick pieces of lime leaf are leathery and unpleasant to chew, so slice as thin as you can.
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl stir together the fish sauce, palm sugar and water until the sugar mostly dissolves.
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Ready when: Sugar is mostly dissolved with no large clumps.
Fry the curry paste
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat for 30 seconds.
- Add the red curry paste and mash and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, breaking it up in the oil.
- Add the garlic and 3 portions of the sliced lime leaves and stir 20 seconds more.
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Ready when: The oil turns red, the paste smells toasty and fragrant, and it sizzles gently without scorching.
Tip: If the paste starts to darken or stick, splash in 1 tablespoon water and lower the heat.
Stir-fry the beans
- Raise the heat to high.
- Add the beans all at once and toss constantly for 2 minutes so every piece is coated in the paste and starts to blister in spots.
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Ready when: Beans turn bright green and look glossy with a few browned, wrinkled spots.
Tip: Do not crowd the pan; use a large skillet if your wok is small.
Add sauce and finish
- Pour in the sauce and keep tossing for 2 to 3 minutes until the liquid has almost completely evaporated and clings to the beans.
- Taste a bean: it should be crisp-tender with a slight squeak when bitten.
- Fold in the chile slices if using.
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Ready when: Pan is nearly dry, beans are glossy and coated, and are tender with a slight snap.
Tip: For softer beans, add 1 more tablespoon water and cook 1 minute longer.
Garnish and serve
- Transfer to a serving plate right away and scatter the reserved shredded lime leaf over the top.
- Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
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Tip: Serve immediately; the beans lose their snap as they sit.
Good to know
Tips
- Brands of red curry paste vary a lot in heat and salt; start with 2 tablespoons and add more next time if you want it stronger.
- Fry the paste in the oil, not just stirred into liquid, to bring out its aroma.
- Keep the dish fairly dry; pad prik khing is a dry stir-fry rather than a saucy curry.
- Add 6 oz (170 g) sliced chicken, pork or firm tofu, cooked first and set aside, to turn this into a main dish.
Make ahead
Cut the beans, mince the garlic, slice the lime leaves and mix the sauce up to 1 day ahead. Keep the beans wrapped in paper towels in the fridge and the rest in separate covered containers.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 1 hour. Fridge: airtight container up to 3 days. Freezer: not recommended because the beans turn soft. Reheat in a hot skillet for 2 minutes with a splash of water.
Substitutions
- long beans (yardlong beans) → green beans (haricots verts or standard). Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer for thicker standard green beans.
- kaffir lime leaves → 1 tsp finely grated lime zest. Add at the end rather than frying it with the paste.
- fish sauce → light soy sauce. Use the same amount; the flavor is less funky and the dish is not strictly Thai-authentic, but suits a vegetarian version if the curry paste is shrimp-free.
- palm sugar → light brown sugar. Use an equal amount.