Pork Pad Prik Khing
Delicious stir-fried pork in a dry curry!
If you have read any of my previous articles, you know that I love to cook Thai food — especially curries. One of the dishes that I enjoy making is Pork Pad Prik Khing. I like this dish because of the caramelization on the pork, as well as the sweeter note of this curry relative to other Thai curries (2:1 ratio of sugar to the fish sauce). It is also considered to be a dry curry, meaning that there is just enough curry to adhere to the crunchy green beans and the caramelized pork. And the texture and richness of the hard-boiled egg (although optional) is a perfect complement to the texture of the pork and spicy curry.
This is one of the easiest Thai dishes to prepare! I find that it is a great dish to make at the end of a long week because it is so simple and comforting. You simply need protein, green beans, and prik khing curry paste. If you cannot find prik khing curry paste, you can substitute red curry paste; the spices are a little different, but it will also work well.
One of the reasons I like this dish so much is that I always have these ingredients in my freezer and pantry. When I buy pork loins, I buy a pack of thin, pork loins then place the pork loins in quart-sized freezer bags and place them in the freezer (two pork loins [about 6 ounces] per bag). When I decide to make this dish, I simply thaw out a package of pork loins. It only takes a few hours to thaw out a couple of pork loins; I also find that it is easier to cut the pork when it is still a little frozen. And since I always have a package of green beans in the freezer, as well as an ample inventory of curry pastes in my pantry, I can make this dish in a flash!
As with all curries, the aroma that fills the house when preparing this dish is just amazing! The dish is also quick to make and very versatile. If you do not like or eat pork, you can substitute it with another protein of your choice.
This is a very simple but flavorful dish. If you like curry, give this dish a try.
Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
6 oz. pork loin, sliced
2 tbsp. refined, coconut oil
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 oz. prik khing curry paste (if you like It less spicy, then use 2–3 oz. of curry paste)
¼ cup of water
1 tsp. kaffir lime leaf powder
2 tbsp. light brown sugar (could also use palm sugar or white sugar)
1 tbsp. fish sauce (plus an additional 2 tsp. of fish sauce to marinate the pork)
2 cups green beans
INSTRUCTIONS
Stir-frying the pork
· Marinate the pork with 2 tsp. of fish sauce for about 15 to 20 minutes.
· Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
· Place the pork in the wok and let sear for 1 ½ to 2 minutes without turning it over.
· Toss the pork in the wok for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, then set aside in a bowl.
· Let the wok cool down.
Curry
· Heat the coconut oil in a wok over medium heat.
· Add the curry paste and cook until bloomed (becomes aromatic and starts to bubble). Cook for about 1 to 2 two minutes.
· Add the water, kaffir lime leaf powder, brown sugar, and fish sauce. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes (add more water, if necessary, but not too much since this is a dry curry).
· Add the pork back into the wok, coat the pork with the curry, and cook until the pork is thoroughly cooked (about 1 minute).
· Add the green beans to the wok, coat with the curry, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes over medium-high heat.
· Plate and garnish with a quarter, hard-boiled egg (optional).
· Serve with jasmine rice.
Notes
· The addition of the hard-boiled egg is optional, but it really makes the dish. To cook a perfect hard-boiled egg, place an egg in a small pot and add enough water to completely cover the egg. Bring the pot to boil, then immediately turn off the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let sit for 10 minutes. When done, rinse the egg under cold water and place it in the refrigerator to allow the egg to cool down.
