Pad Prik King Muh / Nuea

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 200 g lean pork belly or rump steak
• n. B. broth
• 300 g snake beans
• 2 tbsp curry paste, red, Thai, less if needed
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, torn into large pieces
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• ½ tbsp palm sugar
• 1 chili pepper(s), long, red
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into very fine strips

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 minutes; Total time approx. 15 minutes

Thai quick-fried pork or beef in red curry paste with snake beans and kaffir lime leaves.

Cut the snake beans into pieces about 5 cm long, and slice the long red chili diagonally into thin slices. Cut the meat, whether pork or beef, into as thin slices as possible. This works best when the meat is slightly frozen. Brown the red curry paste in a little oil, then add the meat and fry until cooked through. As soon as it starts to dry out, add a little stock, just enough to prevent burning and to leave a tiny bit of sauce. Now add the snake beans and mix everything well. The beans will cook very quickly, in just a minute at most. Season with fish sauce and sugar and add the torn kaffir lime leaves and chili slices. Stir well, but don’t overcook, or the kaffir lime leaves will become bitter. Season to taste with fish sauce and sugar. Serve on plates with or on top of rice and scatter the very finely chopped kaffir lime leaves over the top. No one has yet been able to explain to me why this dish is called Pad Prik King, but that’s just how it is. Pad (or phad) means fried, prik means with chili, and king is actually ginger, but that has no place in this quick, dry curry. You can also make it with fish, shrimp, or tofu, but the cooking time will need to be adjusted accordingly.