Spicy Pork Stir Fry

Name: Spicy Pork Stir Fry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 1/3 lb Pork belly sliced thin across the grain; 2 2/3 cups Yardlong beans cut into 1-inch pieces; 3-4 Kaffir lime leaves folded and sliced into thin slivers; 2 3/4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste; 1 1/3 tablespoons Coconut sugar; 2 3/4 teaspoons Light soy sauce; 2 3/4 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Pad Prik Khing

Pork belly and yardlong beans stir-fried dry in concentrated red curry paste

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 10 min
Serves: 4
Heat: hot

Pad Prik Khing is a dry curry, meaning the red curry paste is fried down on its own rather than loosened with coconut milk, so the flavor stays concentrated and clings tightly to the pork and beans instead of pooling into a sauce. Browning the pork belly first and frying the curry paste in that same flavorful oil builds a deeper base than starting with plain oil would. Yardlong beans go in just long enough to cook through while staying a little crisp, and a scattering of slivered kaffir lime leaf on top adds a last note of citrus fragrance right before serving.

Ingredients

1 1/3 lb Pork belly (sliced thin across the grain)
2 2/3 cups Yardlong beans (cut into 1-inch pieces)
3-4 Kaffir lime leaves (folded and sliced into thin slivers)
2 3/4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 1/3 tablespoons Coconut sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons Light soy sauce
2 3/4 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Directions

Cut the pork belly into long strips with the grain, then slice thin across the grain. Slice the kaffir lime leaves into thin slivers and cut the beans into 1-inch pieces.
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the pork belly until well browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan along with any browned bits.
Add the curry paste to the oil and fry over low heat for about 2 minutes, until smooth and glossy.
Return the pork to the pan and stir into the paste. Raise the heat to high and fry for about 2 minutes, until sizzling hot.
Add the beans, soy sauce, and coconut sugar. Stir well and cook until the sugar melts, adding a splash of water to pull together a light sauce.
Serve on a shared plate, arranged evenly, topped with the kaffir lime slivers. Serve with steamed rice as part of a larger meal.

Notes

Fry the curry paste in the pork's own browned oil rather than fresh oil — those crispy bits left in the pan carry a lot of flavor into the paste.

Substitutions

Lean pork slices can replace the pork belly for a less fatty version. Regular green beans work fine if yardlong beans aren't available.