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!
Ingredients
- 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)
Preparation
Preparing Stink Beans
- Remove the seeds from the stink beans and slice them in half. Rinse thoroughly and drain well.
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.
Cooking Instructions
- 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.
Serving Suggestion
- 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.
All photos and content are my own.
Thanks for stopping by! 😀
