Thai Cuisine : A spicy curry stir-fry stink beans with minced pork 🌶️

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Hello from Thailand, everyone! 🌸 I hope you're all doing well. Wishing you good health !

For this post, I’d like to introduce a local vegetable from Southern Thailand : the stink bean (Thai called Sa tor) also known as bitter bean* or *twisted cluster bean. What you see here are stink beans that my neighbor (who is also a relative) gave me this morning.

Characteristics: The pods are long and flat, slightly twisted, with round green seeds lined up inside. They have a pungent smell and a slightly bitter, nutty taste.

This is an economically important vegetable , popular among both Thais and foreigners. You’ll definitely find stink bean dishes in Thai restaurants! They can be used in many recipes, such as Spicy stir-fries, Spicy curries, Shrimp paste stir-fries or even eaten fresh with shrimp paste dip (nam prik kapi).

Today, I brought some stink beans to make a spicy curry stir-fry with minced pork, and the rest will be eaten fresh as raw vegetables. This dish is very easy to make, just like a regular curry stir-fry. Let’s go through the preparation steps!

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Ingredients

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• Minced pork: 200g
• Stink beans : 3 pods
• Spicy curry paste: 1/2 tbsp
• Shrimp paste (kapi): 1/4 tbsp
• Fish sauce: 1 tbsp
• Sugar: 1/2 tbsp
• Seasoning powder: 1 tsp
• Kaffir lime leaves: 5 leaves
• Fresh chilies (as preferred)
• Coconut milk: 1/2 cup
• Vegetable oil: 1 tbsp (for stir-frying)

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Preparation

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Preparing Stink Beans

• Remove the seeds from the stink beans and slice them in half. Rinse thoroughly and drain well.

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Preparing Fresh Chili and Kaffir Lime Leaves

• Remove the stems from fresh chilies, rinse, and pat dry.

• Rinse kaffir lime leaves, pat dry, and thinly slice into fine strips.

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Cooking Instructions

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• Heat a wok or pan over low heat. Add a small amount of vegetable oil for stir-frying. Add red curry paste and shrimp paste, stir-fry until fragrant.

• Add minced pork, increase to medium heat, and stir-fry with the curry paste. Add a splash of water and cook until the pork is almost done.

• Add the stink beans and stir-fry for about 1 minute to retain their crunch. (For softer beans, cook longer.)

• Pour in coconut milk (for aroma, richer flavor, and tender texture). Mix well. Season with fish sauce, sugar and seasoning powder. Adjust to taste.

• Add the fresh chilies and sliced kaffir lime leaves. Stir briefly, then turn off the heat.

• Plate the spicy curry stir-fried stink beans with minced pork and serve hot.

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Serving Suggestion

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• Enjoy this dish hot with steamed rice and a fried egg for a perfect match!

• This is a popular Thai restaurant-style dish that’s easy to make at home.

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All photos and content are my own.
Thanks for stopping by! 😀