Pad Prik King with Pork

Ingredients

• 12 oz pork tenderloin or loin
• 8 oz long beans (or green beans)
• 2 tbsp red curry paste
• ¾ cup coconut milk (full-fat)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 whole red bird's eye chili (or Thai red chili)
• ½ whole lime
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or peanut)

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the pork on a cutting board and slice against the grain (the direction the muscle fibers run) into thin slices about 1/8-inch thick, similar to deli meat. This makes the pork tender when cooked.

2. 2

   Pick up each long bean and cut it into 2-inch lengths, holding the bean with one hand and using a knife in the other to cut straight across. Place the pieces in a small bowl.

3. 3

   Slice the red chili lengthwise in half, then scrape out the seeds and white membrane with a knife tip to reduce heat, leaving the chili in two pieces.

4. 4

   Cut the lime half into two wedges and place on a small plate.

5. 5

   Pour the neutral oil into a 12-inch skillet or wok and place it over medium-high heat. Wait until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.

6. 6

   Add the pork slices to the hot oil in a single layer and let them sit undisturbed for 2 minutes without stirring, until the bottom turns light golden brown. This develops flavor.

7. 7

   Stir the pork pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula, breaking up any that stick together, and cook for another 2 minutes until most of the pink is gone.

8. 8

   Scrape the red curry paste into the pan with a spoon and stir constantly for 30 seconds until the paste coats all the pork and smells strongly fragrant and aromatic.

9. 9

   Pour in the 0.75 cup coconut milk and scrape up any stuck-on paste from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, stirring until everything is blended together.

10. 10

    Add the long beans to the sauce and stir to coat them. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 4 minutes, stirring once every minute, until the beans are tender but still firm.

11. 11

    Pour in the fish sauce and sprinkle in the palm sugar, then stir for 10 seconds until the sugar dissolves and the sauce tastes balanced between salty, sweet, and savory.

12. 12

    Drop the red chili halves into the sauce to infuse flavor, then taste a small spoonful of sauce on your tongue. If you want more heat, leave the chili in; if it is too spicy, remove it.

13. 13

    Divide the pork and beans between two shallow bowls, pouring the sauce over the top so the bowl is about one-third full with liquid.

14. 14

    Squeeze one lime wedge over each bowl, then place the second wedge on the rim of the bowl for squeezing at the table.

Tools you’ll need

• cutting board
• chef's knife
• small bowl
• small plate
• 12-inch skillet or wok
• wooden spoon or spatula
• shallow serving bowls

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