What is "Nam Tok"?

Nam tok literally means "falling water" or "waterfall," so you might have seen this steak called "waterfall salad" on some menus. The name refers to the dripping (i.e., falling) of meat juices as it’s being grilled; so the one requirement for this dish is that the meat has to be grilled. There are two common types of nam tok: one made with pork, usually grilled pork jowl, and the other made with beef.

Ingredients and Notes

Ingredients for the Steak Marinade

This marinade is a simplified version of my ultimate steak marinade recipe because the steaks are going to get even more flavour from the salad.

• Grilling steaks. Pictured are picanha steaks, also known as "top sirloin cap," but any other grilling steaks can be used. In Thailand, tri-tip is quite common.
• Oyster sauce. Check out this post for how to choose the best oyster sauce.
• Soy sauce. Watch this video for a soy sauce 101.
• Sugar
• Water
• Neutral oil
• Black pepper

Ingredients for the Salad

• Uncooked jasmine or glutinous rice for making toasted rice powder
• Makrut lime leaf (optional, not pictured). This is for adding fragrance to the toasted rice powder.
• Cilantro
• Mint
• Shallots
• Lemongrass
• Shallots
• Sawtooth coriander (optional, not pictured)
• Roasted chili flakes - You can simply toast some plain chili flakes in a dry skillet over low heat for just a minute or so, until it darkens slightly and smells smoky. Or toast whole chilies, then grind.
• Fish sauce. Learn more about choosing the best fish sauce here.
• Lime juice
• Water
• Sugar
• Thai sticky rice, for serving. This salad is always paired with sticky rice and I highly recommend it. Check out this post for how to make sticky rice.

How to Make Thai Grilled Steak Salad

Here's a bird's eye view of how to make neua yang nam tok, but be sure to watch the video tutorial first to ensure success!

1. Make the marinade by combining all ingredients.
2. Marinade steaks for at least 2 hours.
3. Grill the steaks, flipping at least twice for more even cooking.
4. I recommend medium to medium-well doneness for this recipe. Rare steaks don't hold up as well in this salad.

5. Toast the rice with a makrut lime leaf in a dry skillet or wok until browned.
6. Grind into a powder.
7. Slice the steak and place into a mixing bowl, adding any juices collected during resting.
8. Add all dressing ingredients and the toasted rice powder and toss.

9. Toss in all the fresh herbs.
10. Serve immediately with sticky rice!

A Tool for Navigating Beef Cuts

There are sooo many cuts of beef on the market, and it's impossible to remember which cut is good for what. If you've ever wanted to try a new cut but not sure what to do with it, check this out. Canada Beef, our sponsor for this post, has launched the Canadian Beef Information Gateway which breaks down over 70 cuts of beef, complete with info on how to best cook them and new recipes you can try out.

Check it out and you'll be amazed! Access the Gateway here or scan this QR code below!

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

What is Mango and Sticky Rice?

Mango sticky rice is a classic traditional Thai dessert, and in Thai it is called kao niew mamuang ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง. Kao niew means sticky rice, and mamuang means mango. The sticky rice part of the dessert is made from white long grain glutinous rice that has been steamed and then macerated in a sweet coconut syrup. The rice is then topped with a salted coconut sauce and crispy mung beans.

The mango part of the dessert is simply fresh mango! Of course you've got to get the right kind of mango for this dessert to work, as the varieties are very different. More on this in the ingredient section below.

In Thailand, you can find mango sticky rice just about anywhere, as it is popular amongst Thais and foreigners alike. But for the best mango sticky rice, you should get it from a shop that specializes in it as opposed to a restaurant that sells many things.

Also, even though mango sticky rice is available year around in Thailand, the best time to eat it is during the mango season which is in Thailand's summer; roughly from March until May.

Ingredients and Notes

There are 4 components to Thai mango sticky rice, but the ingredients for each one is incredibly short! Here are important notes about them, and for amounts, see the full recipe card below.

1. Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice

• Thai white glutinous rice, also known as Thai sweet rice or Thai sticky rice. To make sure it is the right kind, ensure it is long grain and a product of Thailand.
• Coconut milk, a good coconut milk is important here. I like Aroy-D in the carton (not the can!) as shown in the pic. Also check out this post about how to choose good coconut milk. Do not use coconut cream for this recipe.
• Salt
• Granulated sugar. While you might be tempted to use palm sugar in Thai desserts, white sugar is used in this recipe to maintain the white colour of the rice. But if you're making a coloured rice, you can substitute half or all of the white sugar with palm sugar.

2. Salted Coconut Sauce

This is a simple yet extremely important component of the mango sticky rice. The salt helps balance out the sweetness and adds moisture and creaminess, so together you end up with a dish that is well balanced and not overly sweet.

• Coconut milk.
• Salt.
• Rice flour or cornstarch. This is just to thicken the sauce so that it will stay on the rice and not run all over the plate, so any starch or flour that you have on hand will do the job.

3. The Mangoes

Mark my words: if the mango is not good, it does not matter how good your rice is.

The quality of the mango makes or breaks this dish, so make sure your mangoes are sweet, ripe and juicy. In Thailand, we use nam dok mai or ok rong mangoes.

In North America, the best mangoes for the job are Manila mangoes, also known as ataulfo or champagne mangoes. Avoid varieties that are fibrous or have a dense, firm texture. Usually the large, round-ish, reddish mangoes don't work well for this.

To ensure ripeness, I wait until the mangoes develop wrinkles on the skin, or even a black spot or two. Those are sure signs of ripeness. At the very least, I wait 3 days after the mangoes have turned completely yellow. I typically buy the mangoes at least a week before serving because most mangoes in stores are still green.

4. Crispy Mung Beans

Though many people consider these optional, I think they make a huge difference because they add an element of crunch. You'll be surprised at how much a little crunchiness adds to any dessert!

All you need is shelled, split mung beans which you can find at many Asian grocery stores. Do not get whole mung beans which are green; the ones you need are yellow, and they should be split in halves.

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps involved, but if it's your first time, I highly recommend watching the full video tutorial to ensure success!

For the sweet sticky rice

1. Wash the glutinous rice about 4-5 times until the water runs mostly clear. Then soak the rice in plenty of room temp water for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
2. If you want to colour the rice, you can add the colour to the soaking water (see instructions in the section below).
3. Drain the rice very well and place it on a moist (not wet!) muslin or tea towel, then fold the edges of the cloth over the rice. You can steam different colours at once, as long as they don't touch.
4. Steam the rice for 20-25 minutes over boiling water. Make sure the rice doesn't cover the entire rack - there should be space around the rice to allow the steam to come up.

1. Prepare the coconut syrup. In a pot, combine the coconut milk, sugar, salt; and if you have a pandan leaf handy you can throw it in as well. Cook it over medium high heat, and at the first sign of bubbling, turn off the heat and keep covered until the rice is done. Do not let this syrup reduce.
2. Macerate the rice. Shortly before the sticky rice is done, reheat the syrup back up so it is piping hot. When the rice is done, immediately place it into a mixing bowl and pour the hot syrup over the rice. Stir to break up any lumps, then cover with a lid, a plate, or aluminum foil and let sit for 20 minutes. It's very important both the rice AND the syrup are very hot to ensure proper absorption.
3. After 20 minutes, fold the bottom of the rice up to the top to help redistribute the liquid, and let sit for at least another 20 minutes or until ready to serve.
4. The rice should've absorbed all the liquid and looks plump and shiny, but not mushy. There should be no pooling liquid remaining.

For The Salted Coconut Sauce

1. Stir the rice flour in some water until there are no more lumps.
2. Combine the rice flour slurry, coconut milk, and salt in a small pot. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Pour into a bowl and let cool. It will not look like much has happened at this point.
4. After it has cooled it'll thicken to the perfect consistency. This will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

For the crispy mung beans

1. Rinse the beans, add them to a small pot and cover with 2 cups of water.
2. Bring the water to a simmer, and as soon as it simmers immediately remove from heat and cover the pot; let sit for 10 minutes. Watch the beans carefully and turn the heat off as soon as the water is bubbling. Do not let them simmer or soak too long or they will overcook.
3. Promptly drain and rinse the beans in cold water then dry them on paper towel.
4. In a lightly greased pan, toast the beans over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the beans are dry, crunchy and slightly golden brown. Cool on a plate. These will keep in an airtight container for up to a month.

Assembly

Scoop the rice onto a plate, then drizzle the salted coconut sauce over the rice. Sprinkle the crispy mung beans on top and serve beside fresh mangoes. Enjoy!

Making Colourful Sticky Rice

There are 2 ways to colour the sticky rice: colour the soaking water OR colour the coconut syrup. If using natural dyes, I find it is easier to add the colour to the water than to the coconut syrup, because colours have a hard time infusing into fatty liquid.

If using food colouring, then it will be easier to just stir a few drops into the coconut syrup.

Here are the natural dyes Thai people like to use. The following are formulas for 1 cup of soaking water, which is enough to soak up to 1 cup of sticky rice. Tip: It is much easier to see the dying process in action in the video!

• Green - Pandan leaves + food colouring. Blend 50g pandan leaves with 1 cup of water until mostly fine. If you have a super blender like a Vitamix don't go max power and completely annihilate it as it will become bitter, and all of the fibers won't be caught in a sieve. The rice will not pick up that much green, so I find adding a couple of drops of green food colouring is necessary here for a bright colour.
• Blue - Butterfly pea flowers. Steep 20 dried butterfly pea flowers in ½ cup of hot water for 15 minutes. Drain, then add ½ cup of cold water to cool it down. Make sure the water is room temp before you soak the rice.
• Purplish blue - Butterfly pea flowers + lime juice. After you get the blue water from above, add about 2 teaspoons of lime juice to turn the colour purple. It will look quite purple now, but will turn more blue after steaming.
• Yellow - turmeric. Dissolve ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder in about ¼ cup of hot water and stir to extract the colour. Add ¾ cup of cold water to cool it down. Make sure the water is room temp before you soak the rice.
• Orange - red beets. Grate about ¼ of a beet into 1 cup of room temp water, then strain. The water looks red but the rice will turn orange after steaming.
• Pink - Food colouring. In Thailand we have a type of wood called mai faang that we use to extract pink colour, but since it's not availablee here, you will need to use food colouring.
• Dark purple - black sticky rice. Substitute 25% of the white glutinous rice with black glutinous rice (so if making 1 cup of rice, use ¼ cup black rice and ¾ cup white rice). Pour 1 cup of hot-off-the-boil water over the black rice and cover and steep for at least 30 minutes; or let it go until the water cools down to room temp. If the water is still hot add some ice cubes to cool it down, then add the washed white rice into it and let the two soak together for the required 4 hours. The initial hot soak is necessary for the black rice because it is a whole grain rice, and without the hot soak it will be too chewy.
  **You will need slightly less coconut milk in the syrup if making black sticky rice because the black rice does not absorb liquid readily.

Logistical Tip for making multiple colours: I recommend making the same amount of each colour to make the math easy on yourself. Make the syrup in one big batch, then measure the total volume and divide it by the number of colours you have, so you know how much syrup is needed for each batch.

Tips for Success

It sounds like a simple dessert, and it is, but there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure success:

• The sticky rice is best served the day it is made. While you can reheat it, the texture is never as good as when it's fresh. But there are lots you can do to prep ahead of time to make serving day much easier, see advance prep tips below.
• Do not use any other method to cook the rice. Over the years I have shown you many ways to cook sticky rice, including this hot soak sticky rice method. But for this recipe I recommend only using the cold water soak method as shown here. Other methods will yield rice that is on the softer side, which is fine when eaten plain, but it could turn mushy after the syrup gets added.
• Drain the rice VERY VERY well before you steam. If there is a lot of leftover water in the rice, it'll trickle down to the bottom and soak the cloth which will make the bottom of the rice soggy. PS. this is not as much of an issue if you use the traditional bamboo cone steamer as the bamboo can absorbs excess water.
• Use good coconut milk. As you can see, coconut milk plays a large role in this dessert, and it's important to use a good one. My preference is for Aroy-D in the carton, NOT in the can. Coconut milk varies greatly in quality, so to learn more, read my post on how to choose good coconut milk.
• Always use sweet ripe mangoes. There is nothing that ruins mango and sticky rice more than sour or flavourless mangoes!!! This is not a dessert to make out of season.
• If you're using natural dyes for your rice, refrigerate the rice after 4 hours of soaking if not steaming yet. This is to ensure food safety since we have introduced fresh plant materials to the water.

Advance Prep Tips

Here are things you can do to prep ahead:

• Make the coconut syrup up to a few days ahead and reheat before macerating the rice.
• Make the salted coconut sauce up to a few days ahead and reheat just until warm or room temp before serving.
• Make the crispy mung beans up to a week ahead and store in an airtight container.
• Soak the rice up to one day ahead, and be sure to steam the rice at least an hour before serving to ensure enough maceration time.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

As mentioned, it's best to serve the rice the day it is made, but leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 1 month. Reheated rice will have slightly compromised texture, but it is fine to eat.

To freeze the sticky rice, divide the rice into portions and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.

To reheat refrigerated or frozen sticky rice, cover the rice with a damp paper towel and microwave until piping hot. Halfway through, take it out and break it up into smaller chunks and mix the up for more even heating.

Alternatively, cover with dry paper towel or tea towel and steam it in a steamer until the rice is piping hot. After a few minutes of steaming, break the rice up into smaller chunks for more even heating. The rice will not regain its softness unless it is fully reheated!

Let cool to room temp or slightly warm before serving.

The salted coconut sauce will last at least 1 week in the fridge without any issues. Simply reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

To store leftover cut mangoes, cover it well and refrigerate for up to 3 days. It may develop some browning, which is not pretty, but is fine to eat.

Recipe Card

Print

Thai Mango and Sticky Rice

An iconic dessert of Thailand. Mango and sticky rice has it all: sweet, salty, fruity, crunchy...it is the perfect balance and explains why it is famous the world over!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Rice Soaking Time 4 hours hours

Servings 6 servings

Author Pailin Chongchitnant

Ingredients

Coconut Sticky Rice

• 1 cup white glutinous rice see notes 1 and 2
• ⅔ cup coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• ½ cup sugar

Salted Coconut Sauce

• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon rice flour
• 1 Tablespoon water

Others

• 2 Tablespoons shelled and split mung beans
• 3 sweet, ripe mangoes see note 3

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the sweet sticky rice:

• *If you want to make colourful rice, first prepare the soaking water using instructions in the blog post above.

  Wash the rice by placing it in a mixing bowl and cover with cold water, then vigorously swish the rice with your hand to release loose starch. Pour off the cloudy water and repeat the process 4 more times or until the water runs mostly clear.
  1 cup white glutinous rice
• Soak the rice with room temp water for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. If you're using naturally dyed water to soak the rice, refrigerate the rice after 4 hours of soaking if you're not yet ready to steam.

  While the rice is soaking, make the salted coconut sauce and the crispy mung beans (below).
• Preheat the steamer by bringing it to a full boil over high heat. While you wait for the water to boil, drain the rice very well, shaking off excess water in a sieve until there is no more dripping. Line a steamer rack with moist muslin (not soaking wet!) or a thin white tea towel and place the rice on the cloth. Fold the edges of the cloth over the rice, making sure the rice doesn't cover the entire rack - there should be space around the rice to allow steam to come up. Cover the steamer rack with a lid.
• Steam the rice for 20-25 minutes over rapidly boiling water, until the rice is fully cooked through (it should not be crunchy in the middle).
• While the rice is cooking, make the coconut syrup. Combine the coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a small pot. If you have a pandan leaf handy, tie it into a knot and throw it in for extra aroma. Cook it over medium heat, and as soon as it starts to bubble, turn off the heat and cover. You will need to reheat this once the rice is ready.
  ⅔ cup coconut milk, ½ teaspoon table salt, ½ cup sugar
• Few minutes before the rice is done, reheat the syrup so it is steaming hot then keep covered. When the rice is done, immediately place the rice into a mixing bowl and immediately pour the syrup over the rice. Stir to break up any lumps, then cover with a lid, a plate, or aluminum foil and let sit for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, use a rubber spatula to fold the bottom part of the rice up to the top to help redistribute the syrup, and let sit for at least another 20 minutes or until ready to serve. At this stage the rice will keep at room temp all day.

For the salted coconut sauce:

• Stir the rice flour into the water until there are no more lumps.
  1 teaspoon rice flour, 1 Tablespoon water
• Combine the rice flour slurry, coconut milk, and salt in a small pot. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Let cool completely before serving.
  ½ cup coconut milk, ¼ teaspoon table salt

For the crispy mung beans:

• Rinse the beans in cold water and add them to a small pot and cover with about 2 cups of water.
  2 Tablespoons shelled and split mung beans
• Over medium heat, bring the water to a simmer. Once simmering, immediately remove from the heat and cover the pot for 10 minutes ONLY. Do not over-soak.
• Drain off the cooking water and rinse the beans in cold water. Lay the beans on a paper towel to dry.
• In a lightly greased sauté pan, toast the beans over medium high heat, stirring frequently until the beans are dry, crunchy and start developing a light golden colour.
• Let cool on a plate. This can be kept in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Assembly:

• Serve the rice beside sweet, fresh cut mangoes. Spoon some salted coconut sauce over the rice and sprinkle with the crispy mung beans.
  3 sweet, ripe mangoes

Video

Notes

1. White glutinous rice is also labelled as white "sweet rice". Make sure it is long grain and a product of Thailand.
2. If making the black sticky rice version, use ¼ cup black sticky rice, ¾ cup white sticky rice, and reduce the coconut milk for the syrup to ½ cup (120 ml). See black rice soaking method in the blog post above.
3. The quality of mangoes is so important for this dessert. I prefer Ataulfo mangoes (aka Manila or Champagne mangoes). See more mango tips in the blog post. 

Hung Lay Curry Powder

Whole spices are always preferred as the flavours are more aromatic when freshly ground, but if you don't have it, ground version can be substituted.

• Cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon
• Black peppercorns
• Turmeric powder, you can also pound fresh turmeric root into the curry paste
• Green cardamom
• White cardamom, these can be found a Chinese grocery stores.
• Cumin seeds
• Coriander seeds, this is the one spice I ask you use whole because in my experience ground coriander has so much less flavour than whole.
• Star anise
• Cloves
• Nutmeg
• Fennel seeds

How to Make Gaeng Hung Lay

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Make Hunglay Curry Powder:

1. For whole spices, toast them in a dry saute pan until aromatic and darkened slightly. You can combine spices of similar size and toast them at the same time.
2. Then combine all spices in a coffee grinder or blender and grind into a powder.
3. Once made, store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. You will have more than you need for this recipe, so feel free to use it as rubs, marinades, or on vegetables!

Make the curry paste: 

1. Grind dried chilies into a powder in a coffee/spice grinder, removing the seeds if you want to reduce the heat. 
2. If using an immersion blender: combine lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste, and blend into a paste. Add the ground dry spices and blend just to mix.
3. If using a mortar and pestle: start by pounding lemongrass and galangal into a fine paste. Then add turmeric and pound until fine, then add shallots and garlic until fine. Then add the shrimp paste and ground dry spices and pound to mix.
4. If using a regular blender: combine lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste, and blend into a paste. If it's too thick you can add a little water to get it going, but only add as much as needed. Pour
5. Add the dried chilies and the hung lay curry powder and blend just until well combined.

Make the curry:

1. Preheat a wok or large pot over medium heat, do not add any oil as there will be a lot of pork fat rendered. Add the pork belly pieces in one layer, and without crowding the pan, and let them sear until well browned on 4 sides. They will stick at first but once they are browned they will release from the pan.
2. Add the pork ribs and give it a quick toss. Then add the curry paste and toss to coat all pieces of pork well. Once the paste is well distributed and it has had a couple of minutes to fry in the pork fat, add water just until it barely covers the pork.
3. Add fish sauce, black soy sauce, tamarind and sugar, and cook for 1 hour 45 mins to 2 hours, loosely covered, until the pork is fork tender.
4. Towards the last 20 minutes, check the amount of liquid, and if it's very soupy, uncover the pot completely to allow liquid to evaporate. You want the sauce to be thick and rich in the end.
5. Once pork is tender add julienned ginger, whole garlic and pearl onions and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the garlic is tender. You can add a little more water at any point if it gets to dry. 
6. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Garnish with extra fresh julienned ginger if desired and serve with rice, enjoy! This curry can also be made in advance and kept in the fridge, and it'll keep well in the fridge for at least a week.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

What is Nam Prik Pao?

Nam prik pao น้ำพริกเผา is an extremely versatile ingredient and a staple in any Thai kitchen. It is a paste made primarily from dried chilies, shallots, garlic, and dried shrimp, all of which are ground into a paste, then seasoned and cooked in oil until thick and shiny. Though it is a savoury ingredient, nam prik pao is quite sweet.

The flavour profile of nam prik pao is quite unique, with robustness coming from toasted dried chilies and garlic and shallots that cook down until jammy. When it is added to a dish, it is usually an important part of the dish's identity, and you really can't substitute it with another ingredient.

In Thai cuisine, nam prik pao is used in many different ways, most commonly in soups, stir fries, and salads. More on different ways to use it below.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

• Dried mild chilies. Nam prik pao is not supposed to be very spicy, so stick with large mild chilies such as guajillo or puya peppers. In Thailand, we use dried spur chilies. If you want to make it spicy, however, that's totally fine, in which case feel free to add spicy dried chilies to the paste in addition to the mild.
• Dried shrimp. These add loads of umami to the paste. You can find dried shrimp at any Asian grocery stores in the fridge, and I would choose medium size ones for this recipe.
• Garlic, peel but leave the cloves whole
• Shallots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• Tamarind paste, also labelled as "tamarind concentrate". Make sure it is a product of Thailand which should come as a brown liquid. Indian "tamarind concentrates," which are a sticky, black paste, are much more concentrated and the same amount cannot be used for this recipe. You can also make your own tamarind paste from pulp.
• Salt
• Fish sauce
• Palm sugar, finely chopped, packed. If palm sugar is not available, you can substitute light brown sugar.
• Shrimp paste, optional. Fermented shrimp paste or gapi adds extra umami that's different from the dried shrimp, but it can be omitted.
• Neutral flavoured oil. Quite a lot of oil is added to the paste in order to achieve a luscious, spreadable consistency. In commercial versions of this paste, more oil is used to the point where there is always a thick layer of oil that it on top of the paste, but at home you just need to add enough for the right consistency.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

How to Make Thai Chili Paste/Chili Jam - Nam Prik Pao

Here's the bird's eye view of the process, the full instructions are in the recipe card below. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

1. Toast the dried chilies in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they are charred in some spots and smell smoky. Remove from the pan and set aside. (See alternate broiler method for toasting chilies below)
2. In the same pan, add garlic and shallots and toast over high heat, stirring constantly, until they are charred. Remove from the pan. (See alternate broiler method below)
3. In a coffee grinder, grind dried chilies into a powder.
4. Add dried shrimp and grind until fine.

5. In a food processor or a blender, add all ingredients except the oil.
6. Grind into a fine paste, adding more oil as needed for the paste to grind effectively. Scrape the sides down occasionally.
7. Transfer the chili paste into a pot or a wok along with any remaining oil. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly to cook the herbs and thicken the paste to a spread consistency. If you are making a large batch, it will take more time to cook.
8. Once the paste is dark and thick, with the oil sizzling out of the paste, it is ready to be used or stored.

How to use Thai chili paste

Nam prik pao can be used in just about anything - soups, stir fries, salads, or even as a spread! The most famous use for nam prik pao is probably our tom yum goong soup.

In stir fries, simply add it in addition to your other seasonings, but remember that it is quite sweet. See my cashew chicken recipe as an example for how to use it in stir fries. We also love it in fried rice, such as in this 3-chili Thai basil fried rice.

I also love adding Thai chili paste to salads, like in this wing bean salad to make a richer dressing. And for a non-traditional use, you can spread it on toast or crostini as a snack, or use it instead of mayo for your burgers. When I was a kid, my mom used to make tuna sandwiches using nam prik pao as a spread on the bread!

Should you make or buy Thai chili paste?

The truth is that most Thai people buy nam prik pao, and it's a very common ingredient in any supermarket in Thailand. But overseas, it can be hard to find, so if you cannot find it, your only option is to make it yourself because there really isn't a good substitute. Thankfully, making it isn't hard at all!

If you're lucky enough to have it available, or if you're willing to buy online, my recommended brand that is available overseas is Maepranom. Pantai brand is a little sweet for my taste but it is totally fine to use; it seems to be the most commonly available exported brand, and indeed it is the only one that I can get here in Vancouver.

Storage

You can keep Thai chili paste in a sealed jar in the fridge and it'll last several months. You can also freeze it indefinitely.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Just an FYI that the recipe has been updated after the release of this video (which is very old!), so some of the steps and amounts in the recipe card may differ slightly. But it is still good to watch to get the idea of the process!

How to Make Massaman Curry มัสมั่นไก่

Here's a bird's eye view of this recipe, when you're ready to make, please see the full recipe card below!

Before you cook: Like all stews, this dish is better the next day after the flavors have had time to mingle. So if you can, make it a day in advanced!

Storage

Massaman curry keeps VERY well. In fact, I recommend making it one day in advance for even better flavour. But when you reheat, be careful not to overcook the potatoes! In the fridge, in an airtight container, the curry will keep for up to a week.

If you want to make this recipe a part of your regular rotation, I suggest making the massaman curry sauce in advance and freeze it!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

• Red curry paste - Using store bought red curry paste is fine, most Thai people do! BUT it's important to choose a good brand as that can make or break your curry. I recommend Maeploy, Aroy-D, or Namjai in that order, and you can see my full review of red curry paste here. If you're feeling ambitious, you can absolutely make your own! Here's my homemade Thai red curry paste recipe.
• Coconut milk - This is what makes the curry rich and creamy, and it's important to use good quality, full-fat coconut milk. See this post on how to choose the best coconut milk.
• Chicken thigh - I highly recommend using chicken thighs over breast so that it can have time to braise in the liquid so it will become tender and load the curry sauce with more chicken flavour.
• Chicken stock - you can theoretically use water, but for maximum flavour, go with chicken stock. You can use store bought or homemade stock, but make sure it's unsalted or at the very least low-sodium because the curry paste and fish sauce are both quite salty already.
• Fish sauce - fish sauce is the key seasoning for all Thai curries! If you're allergic to fish, soy sauce can be used instead. It's important to choose good quality fish sauce, and you can read more about how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Palm sugar - it is traditional to use palm sugar, but light brown sugar or granulated sugar are fine substitutes in this case because the curry is strongly flavoured, so it won't much much difference.
• Kabocha squash - I love using kabocha squash for red curry as the creamy sweetness pairs so well with the curry. However, feel free to substitute other vegetables - Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots are common vegetables for Thai curries.
• Thai basil - If you don't have it, regular Italian basil will do.
• Red pepper - this is added just for some colour. Red bell pepper will do, or anything mild.

How to Make Thai Red Curry Chicken

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. For full instructions, see the recipe card below, and I also recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Wash the kabocha squash and slice off any woody blemishes off the skin, but otherwise the skin can be left on. Remove the seeds and cut into bite-sized cubes. (If you have leftover squash, try using it in this stir-fry recipe.)
2. Bring ½ cup of coconut milk to a boil, add curry paste and stir to break up lumps.
3. Continue cooking and reducing over medium high heat until it is very thick and the coconut oil starts separating from the curry paste.
4. Add the chicken and toss to mix with the paste and add the remaining coconut milk.

5. Add the chicken stock, half of the fish sauce, and the palm sugar, then simmer for about 8 minutes.
6. Add the squash, then simmer on low heat for another 6-8 minutes or until the squash is cooked through.
7. Taste the sauce and add more fish sauce as needed. Be sure the make it strong-tasting as it'll be served over plain rice.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in Thai basil and red peppers, if using. Enjoy!

Substituting Other Proteins

Anything and everything, but make sure you change the cooking time to match your protein of choice! Everything works with red curry - pork, beef, seafood, you name it.

You can check out my pineapple red curry recipe and a vegan red curry with tofu here as examples. While other curries in Thailand have common meat pairings, for example massaman is usually paired with chicken or beef, the basic a Thai red curry can take any and all proteins.

This is because the flavours of red curry is "basic" relative to other curries, meaning it doesn't have a lot of spices (compared to Thai massaman curry, for example), so the flavours can go with anything from delicate fish to gamey beef.

Substituting Other Vegetables

I like using kabocha squash because creamy squash and red curry is one of my absolute favourite flavour pairings.

While you can use a different kind of squash or whatever vegetables are available to you, here are a few common pairings in Thailand: Thai eggplant, pineapple, winter melon, and bamboo shoots (see the green curry recipe for how to deal with bamboo shoots).

Is it better to make the curry paste from scratch?

Homemade red curry paste can taste better, but not necessarily. I want to get this misconception out of the way because it hinders many people from making Thai food. You do not have to make the curry paste in order to make "legit" curry, and most Thai people do not make their own curry paste.

Growing up in Thailand my family always bought curry pastes, with the exception of very simple curries such as the sour curry or gaeng som. Go to any markets in Thailand and you'll see mounds of curry pastes people but in bulk.

Making curry paste from scratch is not something I'd do on a weeknight. Even if you're using a power tool to help as shown in my red curry paste recipe, gathering ingredients is no small feat. And just because you made the curry paste from scratch, does not mean you'll end up with a better curry! There are some very good curry pastes on the market that can rival homemade ones.

So when I make curry paste, I do it more for the experience of it. It connects me to the dish and the cuisine in a deeper way, it's a labour of love, and I love it when I can really taste the difference between mine and the store bought one. Or sometimes I make it because it's not available to buy, such as the paste for kao soi.

1. If using beef short ribs with bones, separate the bones from the meat but keep the bones.
2. Optional step: In the pot you'll use the make the curry, sear the beef in oil until browned on 2 sides. You'll need to do this in batches. Once done, pour out any excess oil and put the beef back into the pot along with the bones.
3. Add ½ cup of the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of the curry paste, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and top it up with just enough water to submerge. Simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours until fork tender. While you wait you can move on and make the curry sauce.
4. Once the beef is done, remove it from the cooking liquid. Discard the bones but keep the cooking liquid.

5. Bring ¾ cup of coconut milk to a boil then add the curry paste and stir to dissolve the paste.
6. Keep stirring over medium heat until the coconut oil starts sizzling out of the paste.
7. Add some of the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste, then add the rest.
8. Add the cooked beef into the curry sauce.

9. Add the potatoes, onions, sugar, tamarind, fish sauce, and then top it up with just enough of the beef cooking liquid to keep everything submerged. (The remaining liquid you did not use you can use as a base for a tasty beef soup!)
10. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
11. Add the peanuts, if using.
12. Enjoy your super tender beef with jasmine rice!

Advance Prep Tips and Storage

Since massaman beef takes a few hours, there are lots of different ways to spread out the work to make serving day much easier! Here are a few other things you can do to spread out the work:

• Braise the beef up to a few days ahead, then make the curry sauce and finish the curry on serving day. You can also cut up the onions and potatoes ahead of time so they're ready to go.
• You can finish the whole curry ahead of time and simply reheat when ready to eat, and in fact it'll taste even better that way! However, be careful not to reheat for too long as the potatoes may over cook during the reheat.
• If making your own curry paste, it can be made any time in advance and frozen until ready to use. You can add it to the pot directly from frozen.

Storage: Massaman curry will last in the fridge for one week. It's a great dish for meal prep!

Watch The Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. As you can see it's a very simple dessert! For amounts, see the the full recipe card below.

• Glutinous rice flour. Use glutinous rice flour from Thailand, and make sure the bag says "GLUTINOUS", as regular rice flour is completely different and cannot be substituted. Glutinous rice flour is made from sticky rice and it's what gives the dumplings a chewy, stretchy, mochi-like texture.
• Pandan leaves. A key flavour of kanom ko. You can use fresh or frozen pandan leaves. Worst case, you can use pandan extract but the aroma won't be as good.
• Palm sugar. You will need solid pucks of palm sugar as you will need to chop them into cubes. If the palm sugar you have has been open in your cupboard for a while, I recommend getting a fresh bag because fresher palm sugar are softer and easier to chop. Older palm sugar that has dried out can be very hard, and nearly impossible to cut.
• Shredded coconut, unsweetened. In Thailand, we use freshly grated coconut, but if you can only find dried, you can simply rehydrate it with water.
• Salt.

How to Make Sugar Dumplings (Kanom Ko)

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Blend pandan leaves with water until there are no more big chunks - do not over blend.
2. Strain the pandan juice through a fine mesh strainer, then discard the fibers.
3. Add the pandan juice to the glutinous rice flour, little by little, kneading the liquid in each time.
4. Once the dough starts to come together, switch to using a teaspoon to add the pandan juice to prevent adding too much liquid by accident.

13. Add half of the dumplings into the water, one at a time, and let them cook until they float; about 2 minutes.
14. Scoop them out with a wire skimmer and place them onto the coconut.
15. Roll/toss them in the coconut to fully coat. Take them out and repeat with the other half.
16. If all goes according to plan, the palm sugar should still be solid and crunchy in the middle. Enjoy while still warm!

Advance Prep & Storage

As mentioned above, you want to wrap, cook and eat the dumplings all in one go for the best results. If serving these at a party, prep all the components ahead of time as per the tips below, and invite your friends to a dumpling wrapping party while you digest dinner! It's so much more fun when people participate in their meal!

Here's how you can prep the components in advance:

• The palm sugar can be cut several days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
• The dough can be made several hours ahead. You don't want to refrigerate the dough as that makes it stiff and harder to work with, but you can make it anytime on serving day, and let it sit at room temp until ready to use.
• Rehydrate the coconut a few days ahead and keep in the fridge. Let it come to room temp before using.
• Freezing dumplings: You can potentially wrap the dumplings and freeze them right away, without letting them touch so they don't stick together, then cook them directly from frozen. I have not personally tried this but I don't see why it would not work. Let me know if you try this!

Like this recipe? You'd also love these!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the recipe card below.

• Thai red curry paste. I recommend Maeploy or Aroy D brands as they have the strongest flavours and this recipe is made using these pastes. Other brands can also be used, but you may need to adjust the amount of the paste and saltiness. See my thorough review of common red curry paste brands here.
• Coconut milk. See my post on how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped or grated. You can also substitute equal amount of light brown sugar for this recipe.
• Fish sauce
• Eggs, large.
• Makrut lime leaves, finely julienned. If you don't have them you can omit.
• Any kind of fish filet or seafood. The most common choice is white fish such as bass or tilapia, but salmon would also work. You can also use shrimp, squid, or shellfish (without the shells). If you don't eat seafood: You can sub bite-sized pieces of chicken, preferably dark meat but breast would be okay too. I don't recommend pork or beef or anything that would become tough if overcooked because you won't be able to control precisely how long the meat cooks in the custard.
• Shredded cabbage or other sturdy leafy veg. The veggies are added at the bottom of the custard for texture, so you want to use sturdy veggies such as cabbage, kale or Chinese broccoli leaves.
• Thai basil
• Banana leaves, optional. You can buy banana leaves frozen at many Asian grocery stores.
• Jasmine rice, for serving. Like a regular curry, haw mok is always eating with jasmine rice!

Garnish

Garnishes by default are optional, but without them it can definitely look a bit plain. Haw mok come with a standard set of garnishes to add some colour to the top:

• Coconut milk
• Cornstarch, this is to thicken the coconut milk so it stays put on the custard. It can be replaced with any other thickening starches such as rice flour or all-purpose flour.
• Sliced red chilies or julienned red bell pepper
• Cilantro or another green herb you've got on hand. To keep it simple you can julienne extra makrut lime leaves and use that as a garnish. You can also use Thai basil for garnish, but be sure to serve it right away as basil turns dark once it comes into contact with hot food for a while.

How to Make Haw Mok - Step by Step

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps to give you an idea of what's involved. For the complete instructions, see the recipe card below. If this is your first time, I recommend watching the video tutorial in the recipe card to ensure success.

1. Add a splash of coconut milk to the curry paste and stir to loosen the paste. Once the paste is loose, add the remaining coconut milk and stir until the paste is dissolved.
2. Add the eggs, fish sauce, sugar, makrut lime leaves and stir to combine.
3. Add the fish and stir to mix.
4. Line the ramekins with strips of banana leaves if desired, then line the bottom with steamed cabbage and/or kale and Thai basil.

5. Distribute the pieces of fish evenly among the cups.
6. Ladle the custard over the fish, leaving at least ½ inch of headroom to allow for some puffing.
7. Steam on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until set.
8. Garnish with thickened coconut milk, chilies and cilantro or more julienned makrut lime leaves.

Advance Prep and Storage

This is a great dish to make in advance of a dinner party or just for meal prep. There are a few ways to do it.

• You can steam the whole thing in advance, then re-steam to reheat before serving. Leave the garnish until just before serving.
• The custard mixture can be made ahead of time, without the fish, and kept in the fridge for a few days. Add the fish the day you're cooking.
• If using banana leaves, I recommending cutting and cleaning them ahead of time. I find this part a bit of a hassle cuz it gets messy with all the banana leaf trimmings everywhere, so doing it on a separate day helps. Once cleaned and cut, store in a well-sealed container in the fridge to keep it from drying.

Any leftover haw mok can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. The best way to reheat is to steam, but you can microwave it as well. To microwave, I would use no more than 50% power to ensure the custard is evenly heated through and prevent it from exploding as eggs tend to do in the microwave...so cover it with something!

Haw Mok Modifications

This is a very flexible dish that you can exercise your creativity on. Here are some things to try:

• Change the curry paste. Use green curry paste instead of red curry paste! You can also try other curry pastes as well but green would be the best pairing with seafood.
• Change the protein. Instead of fish, try making haw mok talay which uses a mix of fish, squid, shrimp and sometimes mussels. You can do crab for a luxury version. You can even use chicken or pork, or opt for a no-meat version!
• Change the size. You can make tiny little cups which are always cute and would cook quickly, just make sure you cut the fish down smaller. You can also do one large one in a big dish, which I have done and it ends up looking very impressive, but cooking time will increasing to about 50 minutes so be patient!
• Add different veggies. In this recipe I use cabbage and/or kale, but you can definitely try other things that won't become too watery or mushy.

What is Som Tum? And What is Som Tum Pla Ra?

Som tum is the generic term for pounded salads that are made in a mortar and pestle. You can make som tum using many ingredients, but the original one is made using green papaya, which is simply the underripe version of an orange papaya.

In most Thai restaurants overseas, there is only one type of papaya salad on the menu, and that is typically a Thai style papaya salad or som tum thai. But in Thailand, we have many kinds of papaya salads, and one very popular kind is som tum pla ra - a.k.a. som tum lao. It's so named because it uses pla ra, a fermented fish sauce that is commonly used in Laos, hence its alternate name. You can read a lot more on this ingredient below!

Compared to Thai style papaya salad, som tum pla ra does not use dried shrimp, peanuts, and tends to be less sweet. 

Ingredients & Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and some important notes about them. For amounts see the recipe card below.

• Garlic
• Thai chilies, fresh or dried. Add as many as you like depending on your heat tolerance. Some people prefer fresh chilies, others prefer dried, so it really doesn’t matter which you choose and you can even do both. Arbol chilies are a great dried chili option for som tum. If you prefer it milder, instead of adding less chilies I recommend removing the seeds and pith so you keep the chili flavour in the salad. 
• Palm sugar. Finely chop the sugar so that it will dissolve readily, especially if you do not have a mortar and pestle for making the salad. If you don’t have palm sugar, light brown sugar will work as a substitute.
• Long beans. These are optional for tum lao though I quite like the flavour and colour that they add. If omitting, you can simply add more papaya or carrots, or you can substitute blanched green beans. Note: Long beans can be eaten raw but green beans cannot, so make sure you give green beans a quick 1-min blanch in boiling water, then shock them in ice water so they remain crisp. 
• Tomatoes. You can use regular tomatoes cut into wedges, or grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half.
• Fresh lime juice. Emphasis on fresh as it makes for the best flavour, and we also need the skin to add some extra aroma!
• Tamarind paste this is a sour seasoning that is optional, but I like the complexity that it adds to the salad. If not using, you can substitute more lime juice. You can buy tamarind paste premade, but I prefer making it from pulp. You can read more about tamarind here, and if you want to make your own, here's my homemade tamarind paste recipe. 
• Pla ra fermented fish sauce. This is the identifying ingredient, without which you cannot make this recipe! More on this below.
• MSG (optional), I never call specifically for MSG, but for this style of papaya salad it is usually added. So if you want your salad to taste like it does in northeastern Thailand, then a little pinch is recommended 🙂.
• Julienned green papaya. Green papaya is an unripe papaya that has a crisp, firm, and neutral-flavored flesh. Choose the type that is large (not the small Hawaiian ones) sold at many Asian grocery stores. Don’t have papaya? Read about papaya substitutes below.
• Julienned carrots. This is optional, but a handful of julienned carrots adds a pop of colour that makes this salad much prettier! 
• Pumpkin seeds, toasted. I am using these as a sub for kratin seeds, which are seeds of the river tamarind plant. They look similar to pumpkin seeds, and both add a nuttiness to the salad.
• For serving:
  - Sticky rice is a classic accompaniment.
  - Crispy pork rind (store bought) add a nice fatty crunch.
  - Vietnamese style rice vermicelli (kanom jeen) is amazing with this. You can serve them on the side or mix a small bundle right into the salad. Note: Vietnamese rice vermicelli are the round, slightly thicker noodles like ones I use in my kanom jeen namya recipe, whereas Thai rice vermicelli are the super thread-thin Thai ones. 

How to Make Som Tum With and Without a Mortar and Pestle

The word "tum" in som tum means to pound, which is the technique of pounding ingredients in a mortar and pestle. But don't worry if you don't have a mortar and pestle, or if you only have a small one; below I show you 2 different ways to make som tum, with and without the mortar and pestle.

*If you have a mortar and pestle but it is too small for the salad, simply do everything in your M&P right up until it's time to add the papaya, then transfer into a mixing bowl and switch to the hand method.

But first...you have to julienne the papaya

Here are 3 different ways to julienne green papaya. The julienning techniques are much easier understood by video, so I recommend watching the video tutorial if you've never done it before!

Method 1 - Traditional method: use a chef's knife and chop-chop-chop to make many incisions on the papaya, then use the knife to shave off a layer and you should get beautiful uneven sticks.

Method 2 - Julienne peeler. You can buy a Thai julienne peeler at many Asian stores and online (Kiwi brand). This is what I do at home as it's convenient and fast. Note that the first layer you peel off will be stuck together into a sheet, which you simply have to hand-chop into sticks.

Method 3 - Hand chop. If method 1 is too scary, and you don't have a peeler, you can also just hand chop it! It's slow but it will work. Halve the peeled papaya, scrape off the seeds, and thinly slice into sheets, then chop the sheets into sticks.

How to Make Som Tum in a Mortar & Pestle (traditional method)

1. Julienne the papaya and carrot using one of the methods shown above.
2. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilies until there are no big chunks.
3. Add the palm sugar and pound until it is melted into a paste.
4. Add the long beans and pound until they are broken.

5. Add the tomatoes and pound gently to smash and release the tomato juices, then use a large spoon to scrape the sugar off the bottom of the mortar and let it mix in with the juices.
6. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, pla ra and MSG (if using), then use a spoon to stir and mix. If using a mortar that's too small for the papaya, transfer to a mixing bowl and continue to step 7 of the hand massage method below.
7. Add the julienned papaya and carrots and do the "pound and flip" method - pound a few times, then use the large spoon to flip the papaya to distribute the dressing, then repeat the pounding and flipping a few more rounds until everything is well mixed and the papaya is wilted slightly.
8. Plate and garnish with pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

How to Make Som Tum without a Mortar & Pestle (Hand Massage Method)

1. Combine the finely chopped palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, then stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. You'll still have some chunks, but leave them for now.
2. Grate or press the garlic into a mixing bowl. Then finely mince the chilies and add them to the bowl as well.
3. Use whatever you have to smash the long beans until they're split open, then cut into 2-inch pieces.
4. Back to the dressing, stir it well, then use the back of a spoon to mash any remaining sugar lumps which should now easily dissolve. Then add the tamarind, pla ra and MSG (if using).

1. Add the long beans and tomatoes, and use a gloved hand to massage the tomatoes to smash and release the juices.
2. Add the dressing and mix well.
3. Add the papaya and carrots and hand-massage everything until well mixed and the papaya is wilted slightly.
4. Plate and garnish with pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

What is Pla Ra and Where to Find it?

Pla ra (or padaek in Lao) is a fermented fish sauce. But unlike regular fish sauce (nam pla) which is also fermented, it is made from freshwater fish rather than anchovies. Pla ra can be made from a variety of fish, but gourami is a common one. It is thicker, funkier and absolutely packed with umami.

Unlike regular fish sauce which is a commercial product that most people buy, pla ra is an ingredient many people still make still at home, though nowadays you can also buy it. But because it’s historically a homemade item, the flavour of different pla ra varies greatly depending on the recipe used. Some people add various herbs such as lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, others add pineapple juice or even pandan leaves. 

Where to buy pla ra? You can find pla ra wherever you find your Thai ingredients. Most of the time it'll be available at Asian grocery stores that carry a good amount of Southeast Asian ingredients. You can also buy it online; here's the brand I use and like and it is a good beginner pla ra that isn't overly funky and is well seasoned (not sponsored, but the company did send the product for me to try).

When shopping, the labelling can often be confusing as it often is labelled simply as "fish sauce." So make sure the liquid inside is cloudy and thick, and the colour can vary from grey to brown. Ingredients should include fish, salt, and some seasonings, and it may also contain herbs, rice bran or some kind of rice product.

Note: The Vietnamese also have a similar product called mắm nêm, which is available at some Asian markets, and you can use it in place of pla ra *in theory.* However, I don't have much experience with it and don't know the extent to which their flavours can vary between brands. So if possible I would stick to Thai brands to ensure the right flavours.

Substituting Green Papaya in Som Tum

Green papaya can be hard to find and in some places they can be expensive. But the good news is you can make som tum using a number of vegetables that are firm, crunchy, and have a relatively neutral flavour. Here are some options:

• Kohlrabi. This is probably the best sub in terms of colour, flavour, and ease of use. Simply peel the head and julienne it into sticks. The flavour is similar to broccoli stems.
• Broccoli stems. Now you have a reason to buy broccoli with the giant stem attached! Before you julienne, peel off the tougher skin on the bottom part of the stem, but once you get close to the crown the skin is thin enough that it doesn't need to be peeled.
• Premade broccoli slaw mix. If you can find bagged julienne broccoli slaw mix, which is made from broccoli stems, this is a convenient option.
• Cabbage. The flavour will change, and taste quite distinctly of cabbage, but it is still a delicious salad. I even have a purple cabbage som tum in my cookbook SABAI: Simple Weeknight Thai Recipes.
• Cucumber. In Thailand we make tum tang gwa which is som tum made from cucumber and it's super tasty; and I also have a recipe for a corn and cucumber som tum. If working with an English cucumber, you can remove the seeds to make it less watery, but if using smaller cucumbers the seeds can be left in.

Advance Prep Tips

You can actually make som tum up to an hour ahead of serving time and it'll hold up quite well if you wrap and put it in the fridge. If you want to get ahead of the prep, here are things you can do.

• Julienne the papaya and carrots up to a few days ahead, and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge.
• Make the dressing ahead of time (garlic, chilies, and all the seasonings) and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to use, pound the long beans and tomatoes, then add in the dressing and the papaya.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success! And if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

What is Panang Curry?

Of all the different Thai coconut milk based curries, panang curry is one that is quite unique. Instead of having plenty of liquid like a Thai green curry or red curry, panang curry comes in a small amount of thick, rich sauce. You can make an argument that it's more of a saucy stir fry.

Another defining feature is the generous use of cumin and coriander seeds which distinguishes its flavour from the basic Thai red curry. Makrut lime leaves (aka kaffir lime leaves) are also considered must-have for panang curry. Peanuts are ground into the curry paste, making the resulting sauce thicker and richer, though for commercial panang curry pastes, the peanuts are often omitted or replaced with mung beans to avoid allergies.

You can buy panang curry pastes from some Asian grocery stores that stock a lot of Southeast Asian products, but it's not an easy one to find. So I have included how to make panang curry paste from scratch in this recipe, OR if you're short on time you can also try my shotcut - the semi-homemade panang curry paste - which includes just a few ingredients added to store bought red curry paste.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

• Panang curry paste, store bought or homemade (recipe below). This is the heart of the curry and the quality of your curry hangs on the quality of your paste. So if you're going to use store bought, make sure it is good quality. My preference is for Maeploy or Aroy D brands, and if you cannot find store bought panang curry paste, you can also buy red curry paste and add a few ingredients to it to turn it into a panang paste.
• Coconut milk. It's important to use good quality coconut milk when it comes to Thai curries, read more about how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Fish sauce. More about how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Sugar. If you have palm sugar, you can use it, but for this granulated white sugar or light brown sugar will also work just fine.
• Pork tenderloin or pork collar butt, sliced thinly (~⅛ inch) or you can substitute chicken breast or thigh, sliced about ½-inch thick.
• Makrut lime leaves, also known as kaffir lime leaves. This is an important flavour in panang curry. It adds a citrusy aroma the helps brighten and lighten the otherwise rich curry. If you can't find fresh, frozen is the second best option, and dried would be the last resort.
• Mild red chilies for garnish, optional. This is just to give it some colour. Traditionally we use spur chilies or prik chee fa, but any kind of red pepper will do.

Homemade Panang Curry Paste Ingredients

Again, you do NOT have to make it from scratch! It is perfectly acceptable to use store bought, and see my hack for making semi homemade panang curry paste below!

• Dried Chilies. Panang is not supposed to be a super spicy curry, so I stick with mild dried chilies such as guajillo or puya chilies. If you want to add some heat, you can add some spicier chilies such as Thai or arbol chilies as well.
• Coarse salt. If you're pounding by hand, the coarseness will help add some friction, but if making by machine, any kind of salt is fine.
• Cumin seeds, toasted
• Coriander seeds, toasted
• White peppercorns
• Chopped lemongrass, use lemongrass from the bottom half only which is where the flavour is most concentrated. More about lemongrass here.
• Chopped galangal. Fresh or frozen galangal will do. More about galangal here.
• Makrut lime zest. AKA kaffir lime zest. This is the green part of the skin of the makrut limes, and it is very hard to find so I wouldn't worry so much if you don't have it. It has the same aroma as makrut lime leaves, so you can always just add a few extra leaves into the curry. More about makrut lime leaves here.
• Cilantro roots. Simply the roots of the cilantro/coriander plant! This is a common ingredient in Thai cuisine, but outside of Thailand it can be hard to find. Not to worry, you can substitute cilantro stems instead!
• Garlic
• Shallots
• Shrimp paste, called gapi in Thai, this is a fermented shrimp paste, which is an ingredient added to most Thai curries. It is salty and has a funky smell but adds a huge amount of umami. If you don't have it, you can omit it, and you'll just need to add a little more fish sauce to the curry.
• Roasted peanuts. This adds richness to the curry, if you're allergic to peanuts you can substitute another nut or seeds that you are not allergic to to mimic the same richness.

How to Make Panang Curry

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, the full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if it's your first time make sure you watch the video below to ensure success.

1. Reduce some of the coconut milk in a wok or large skillet until very thick.
2. Add the curry paste and stir to mix.
3. Keep stirring until coconut oil starts to separate and sizzle around the curry paste.
4. Add the palm sugar and torm makrut lime leaves and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

5. Add the meat and toss to coat in the paste (image shows beef, but it would be the same if using pork or chicken).
6. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir until the meat is cooked through, then turn off the heat.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce if needed, then stir in the red pepper.
8. Plate and top with julienned makrut lime leaves for garnish.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Here's the video showing how to make panang curry with beef, though the process would be exactly the same if using pork or chicken. (I do have a video that shows how to make panang curry with pork, but I have since updated my process so this one is better 😊). If you enjoy my videos, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Storing Leftover and Advance Prep

Panang curry keeps quite well and is great for meal prep. In the fridge it should last up to a week, just be sure not to overcook the meat when you reheat it. Any leftover curry paste can be frozen.

To make this dish even quicker to pull off on a weeknight, make your curry paste in advance, and you can keep curry paste frozen for several months. You can even make a large amount if you want to come back to this dish regularly!

FAQ

More Classic Thai Recipes You'll Love

If you're ready to try more dishes, here are some popular classic Thai recipes to check out, complete with video tutorials as always!

Recipe

Authentic Thai Panang Curry

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 12 reviews

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• If making curry paste: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Authentic recipe for Thai panang curry, just like you'd have it in Thailand! This recipe uses pork, which is the most common type of panang curry in Thailand, but you can substitute chicken if you wish. If you want to use beef, see my recipe for panang beef which gives some extra tips for making sure your beef is tender.

---

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp (60 ml) panang curry paste, store bought use one of the recipes below (see note 1)
• 10.5 oz (300 g) pork tenderloin or collar but, thinly sliced against the grain (see note 2)
• 1½ tsp (7.5 ml) fish sauce
• 2 tsp (10 ml) neutral oil
• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) coconut milk, plus a little extra for garnish if you wish
• 10 makrut lime leaves, 7 roughly torn into chucks, 3 finely julienned for garnish
• 1½ Tbsp (18 g) palm sugar, finely chopped, packed 
• ⅛ red bell pepper, julienned for garnish, optional
• Jasmine rice for serving

Option 1: Homemade Panang Curry Paste

• 10 g dried mild chilies, such as guajillo or puya peppers. 
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• ¾ tsp cumin seeds
• 1½ tsp  coriander seeds
• ¼ tsp white peppercorns
• 3 Tbsp chopped lemongrass, from bottom half only
• 1 Tbsp chopped galangal
• 1 ½ tsp makrut lime zest (aka kaffir lime)
• 2 cilantro roots or 6 cilantro stems, chopped
• 3 Tbsp chopped garlic
• ¼ cup chopped shallots
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste (gapi)
• 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts (if allergic, sub another type of nuts or seeds)

Option 2: Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

• 4 tablespoon red curry paste
• ¾ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts (if allergic, sub another type of nuts or seeds)
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste (optional, only if the red curry paste doesn’t already have it)

Kitchen Tools & Ingredients I Use

Want to save this recipe?

We can email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

For the Curry:

1. Add 1½ teaspoon fish sauce and oil to the pork and massage it in with your hands, separating the pieces  that are stuck together as you mix.
2. In a saute pan or a wok over medium high heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thickened and creamy. Stir in curry paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until coconut oil separates away from the paste. If the paste sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of the remaining coconut milk.
3. Add palm sugar and torn makrut lime leaves and cook for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Add the pork and quickly toss it with the curry paste, separating the pieces as much as you can. Once the pork is about 50% cooked, add the remaining coconut milk and stir for just one more minute, just until the pork is mostly cooked through, then turn off the heat. *Do not overcook the pork or it will become chewy; it will continue to cook in the residual heat even after you turn off the heat. If it looks too dry, you can add a splash of water at this point.
5. Stir in red peppers, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce as needed. The amount of fish sauce you need greatly depends on how salty your curry paste is, which varies between brands.
6. Plate, and if you have extra coconut milk handy, it's traditional to garnish panang curry with a little drizzle of coconut milk on top, but don't worry if you don't have any extra. Top with julienned makrut lime leaves and more red peppers as desired.
7. Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

For the Homemade Panang Curry Paste:

*This method requires the use of a large granite mortar and pestle. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one, but you'll need to double the recipe to make it grind properly. See my red curry paste recipe for how to use an immersion blender to make curry paste.

1. In a dry skillet toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until they darken slightly and are aromatic and start to pop, 2-3 minutes; remove from the pan. Repeat with the coriander seeds.
2. Add the coriander and cumin seeds into a coffee/spice grinder. Then cut the chilies into chunks and pour out the seeds, and add them to the grinder also. Grinde everything into a powder. Add the roasted peanuts and grind just until mostly fine. 
3. In a large mortar and pestle, add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, cilantro roots/stems and salt and pound into a fine paste. Add the shallots and garlic and pound into a fine paste, adding the dry spices once the shallots and garlic start to become wet to help absorb liquid. 
4. Pound everything into a fine paste, then add the shrimp paste and pound to mix. 

For the Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste:

1. In a dry skillet toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until they darken slightly and are aromatic and start to pop, 2-3 minutes; remove from the pan. Repeat with the coriander seeds.
2. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds until very fine using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
3. Add the roasted peanuts and grind until fine.
4. Mix ground spices into the red curry paste and shrimp paste, if using a mortar and pestle, simply add the paste into the mortar and pound to mix.

Join us on Patreon for bonus content & rewards!

---

Notes

1. If you are using store bought curry paste, add 2 tablespoons of ground roasted peanuts because most store bought pastes leave out peanuts.
2. If you want to substitute chicken, I recommend boneless skinless chicken thigh, sliced into ½-inch thick pieces. If you want to use beef, see my panang beef recipe for some tips on making sure the beef is tender.

What is Panang Curry?

Panang curry is kind of an interesting dish, because it's quite unique compared to other Thai curries. You may have noticed that most dishes that are classified as "curry" of "gaeng" in Thai cuisine are rather soupy. Lots of sauce, thin and runny sauce, some are even water-based and eat very much like brothy soups like this sour curry or this breast milk boosting curry. (If you have my cookbook, I talk about what is curry in there.)

Panang, on the other hand, might be closer to what you imagine when you think of the word "curry"— a thicker, richer sauce, and just enough of it to coat all the stuff and pool a little. We even have a special word for this amount of liquid in a dish, it's called "kluk klik".  Panang is also unique in that it is all meat—it never has any vegetables added to it. The meat is always thinly sliced, and at most you'll get some red peppers thrown in as garnish.

Flavour-wise, it is similar to a red curry with a couple of important ingredients added: coriander, cumin, and peanuts. You can check out my Thai red curry recipe to compare!

It's a great weeknight curry because it comes together so fast. The cooking technique is almost more of a stir-fry, which awesome!

How to Ensure Tender Beef

When eating a beef curry or stir-fry, my biggest pet peeve is when the meat is chewy. I hate it. No matter how delicious it is...if the meat it chewy, the dish is ruined in my books. There are a few simple keys to make sure you have tender beef without having to braise it for a long time.

1. Choose a cut of beef that you would eat as a steak. The assumption being that any beef you will eat as a steak is considered "tender", at least compared to cuts you would need to stew or braise. This is a good rule of thumb for choosing stir-fry beef, which this recipe essentially is. I'm using New York strip in this video (it's a particularly fatty one, which was just a lucky pick at the store!).This does NOT mean it has to be an expensive cut, but if you're choosing the less expensive, leaner steaks, the next two points are very important.
2. Slice the meat AGAINST THE GRAIN. If the meat is naturally tender (New York, ribeye, or tenderloin), it's not as big of a deal, but for cuts that are borderline chewy....like flank, or lean sirloin tip, it's very important. You want the shortest meat fibers possible because the longer it is, the harder it is to chew. Think of slicing the beef as "pre-chewing"—let the knife do the hard work for you. So pay attention to your steak, look at which direction the meat grain runs, and slice across it. See my video for an example.
3. Slice meat THINLY. For 2 reasons, one is because the thinner the beef the more tender is it to chew, which is important if you're using leaner, less tender meat. The other reason is that this is a quick-cooking curry, not a long simmering one, so if the meat is thick the flavour will not have time to penetrate the inside. Using meat that is still a little frozen inside makes slicing thinly much easier.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

• Beef, very thinly sliced against the grain (see notes about tender beef above)
• Fish sauce. More about fish sauce here.
• Oil
• Coconut milk
• Homemade or semi-homemade panang curry paste (recipe follows)
• Makrut lime leaves, 7 roughly torn into chunks which we'll add to the curry, and 3 finely julienned which we will use as garnish on top.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped, packed. If you don't have it, light brown or even granulated white sugar will be fine as it is a small amount.
• A handful mild red pepper, thinly julienned for garnish, optional
• Jasmine rice for serving

Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

If you can't find pre-made panang curry paste at the store, you can easily make one using red curry paste as a base.

• Store bought red curry paste. I recommend Maeploy, Aroy D, Maesri and Namjai brands. I don't recommend Thai Kitchen. Read my red curry paste review here.
• Toasted cumin seeds.
• Toasted coriander seeds. Do not use ground coriander as it is often lacking in flavour. Buy whole coriander seeds, widely available at Asian and Indian grocery stores.
• Roasted peanuts, if allergic, you can sub another type of nuts or seeds.
• Fermented shrimp paste, for some extra umami. This is optional, only if the red curry paste doesn’t already have it.

How to Make Panang Curry Beef

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

For the semi-homemade panang curry paste:

1. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds until very fine using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
2. Add roasted peanuts and grind until fine.
3. Mix the red curry paste and shrimp paste into the ground spice mixture.

For the Curry

1. Add 1½ teaspoon fish sauce and oil to beef and massage it in with your hands, separating the pieces of beef that are stuck together as you mix.
2. In a saute pan or a wok over medium high heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thickened and creamy.
3. Stir in curry paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until coconut oil separates away from the paste. If the paste sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of the remaining coconut milk.
4. Add palm sugar and torn kaffir lime leaves and cook for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Add beef and quickly toss it with the curry paste, separating the pieces of beef as much as you can. Once the beef is about 50% cooked, add the remaining coconut milk and stir for 30 more seconds or just until the beef is fully cooked. If it looks too dry, you can add a splash of water at this point.
6. Stir in red peppers, if using, and turn off the heat.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar as needed.
8. Garnish with julienned kaffir lime leaves and more red peppers as desired.
9. Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

Recipe Card

Panang Curry Beef แพนงเนื้อ

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 18 reviews

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Yield: 2-3 servings

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Ingredients

• 300g beef, very thinly sliced against the grain (see notes about tender beef above)
• 1½ tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp oil
• ¾ cup + ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 recipe homemade or semi-homemade panang curry paste (recipe follows)
• 10 kaffir lime leaves, 7 roughly torn, 3 finely julienned
• ~1 teaspoon fish sauce, to taste
• 1½ Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed (if using granulated sugar, use 1 tablespoon to start then taste and adjust)
• A handful mild red pepper, thinly julienned for garnish, optional
• Jasmine rice for serving

Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

• 3-4 tablespoon red curry paste (see notes)
• ¾ tsp toasted cumin seeds
• 1 ½ tsp toasted coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, unsalted (if allergic, sub another type of nuts or seeds)
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste (optional, only if the red curry paste doesn’t already have it)

Want to save this recipe?

We can email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

For the semi-homemade panang curry paste:

1. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds until very fine using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
2. Add roasted peanuts and grind until fine.
3. Mix the red curry paste and shrimp paste into the ground spice mixture.

For the Curry

1. Add 1½ teaspoon fish sauce and oil to beef and massage it in with your hands, separating the pieces of beef that are stuck together as you mix.
2. In a saute pan or a wok over medium high heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thickened and creamy.
3. Stir in curry paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until coconut oil separates away from the paste. If the paste sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of the remaining coconut milk.
4. Add palm sugar and torn kaffir lime leaves and cook for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Add beef and quickly toss it with the curry paste, separating the pieces of beef as much as you can. Once the beef is about 50% cooked, add the remaining coconut milk and stir for 30 more seconds or just until the beef is fully cooked. If it looks too dry, you can add a splash of water at this point.
6. Stir in red peppers, if using, and turn off the heat.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar as needed.
8. Garnish with julienned kaffir lime leaves and more red peppers as desired.
9. Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

---

Notes

You can use any curry paste brand that you like. In this video I used Maesri brand. Watch this video for my tips on choosing a curry paste.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Thai Peanut Dressing

• Large, mild dried chilies, such as puya or guajillo peppers, but anything that's not too spicy will work. You can find these at Latin American stores.
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Ground coriander, I like to grind coriander from seeds because store bought pre-ground coriander tends to be stale and lacks aroma.
• Coconut milk, check out the post on how to choose good coconut milk.
• Water
• Roasted peanuts. It’s best to buy raw peanuts and roast them yourself because the flavour is so much better than using pre-roasted peanuts which can often be stale. I'm including roasting instructions below.
• Tamarind paste. You can buy tamarind paste for cooking, also labeled as "tamarind concentrate" but always make sure it is tamarind from Thailand! Indian tamarind paste is different and cannot be used in the same way. You can also make it from pulp using this homemade tamarind paste recipe.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped. You can also sub light brown sugar. Read more about palm sugar here.
• Salt or fish sauce. If you don't need this to be vegetarian, I recommend using fish sauce for extra umami.

Salad Components

Note: These are all classic components of a salad kaeg, but feel free to change things up! My only tip is that because the dressing is rich, make sure you have some sturdy veggies in the mix as delicate leafy greens will be easily overwhelmed by the dressing.

• Greens: any kind you like, but I recommend including sturdy leaves such as iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce. Delicate greens alone will not hold up well under the rich dressing.
• Cucumber, sliced
• Tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in wedges, or cut cherry tomatoes in half.
• Carrots, cut into thin sticks or juliennes. Using a julienne peeler makes easy work out of this
• Boiled eggs. The doneness is up to you, but for this I personally like boiling for 9 minutes for large size eggs which will get you doneness as per the photo above.
• Fried firm tofu. Deep fried tofu is traditional and it gives them a nice chewy texture, but you don't need to fry the tofu if you prefer then fresh. You can also pan fry them in a little oil just until browned on both sides, or toss the tofu in oil and air fry them at 400°F (200°C) until browned.
• Potato chips or fried potato sticks. Totally optional but they add a super nice crunch!
• Fried shallots. You can buy fried shallots from Asian grocery stores, but making your own is also an option. I also like to bake store bought fried shallots to refresh them and get them crispier. See more details in my fried shallots recipe here.

How to Make Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

To roast peanuts:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place peanuts on a baking sheet and spread them out into one layer and roast for 15-20 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir the peanuts around. Check them often once they are close to finish, they burn fast!
2. Remove from oven after they have turned golden brown. Once they are cool, grind them into a coarse meal (not peanut butter!) in a mortar and pestle or a food processor.

Note: If you have extra roasted peanuts, store them in the fridge to prevent them from going rancid. For even longer storage, put them in the freezer.

Make the curry paste:

1. Cut the dried chilies into chunks with scissors and remove all the seeds.
2. Add them to a coffee grinder along with the coriander seeds and grind into a powder.
3. In a mortar and pestle, pound together shallots, garlic, ground chilies and coriander into a paste (does not have to be super fine).
4. Bring ¼ cup of the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it is reduced and thick.

5. Once it is thick, continue to cook the paste for one more minute, adding a splash of coconut milk if it is sticking to the bottom.
6. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste.
7. Add the water, ground roasted peanuts, tamarind, palm sugar, and salt. Simmer the dressing for 20-30 minutes over low heat, until thickened to the desired consistency, scraping the bottom frequently to prevent it from scorching.
8. I like the dressing to be on the thicker side, but if you prefer a lightly dressed salad you can make it thinner by adding a splash of water. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, making sure it's got a strong flavour since it will be served with lots of veggies. Let it cool a bit before drizzling over your salad!

What are wing beans?

Before we get into the recipe, for those unfamiliar, here are some wing bean basics. Wing beans, or tua pu in Thai are like green beans with 4 little "wings" extending around them. So when you slice them, the look like little 4-point stars ✨! The middle are crunchy, with a relatively neutral, slightly nutty flavour, very much like green beans.

You can buy wing beans from some Asian grocery stores. Here in Vancouver I see them occasionally at various stores, but not all the time, so when I do see them, this is 100% the dish I make to celebrate the find!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and some important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

• Wing beans or green beans. You can find wing beans at many Asian grocery stores.
• Chicken breast
• Shrimp, this is traditionally added but it is optional. You can stick with just the chicken, or conversely, use only shrimp.
• Shredded coconut, unsweetened, toasted. You can toast the coconut simply by adding it to a dry skillet and stirring it over medium high heat constantly until they are deep brown. (see video for desired colour.)
• Roasted peanuts, finely crushed. If possible buy raw peanuts and roast them yourself in the oven and they'll taste much better!
• Shallots, thinly sliced
• Eggs, for making boiled eggs. Though technically optional, this is a classic accompaniment to yum tua pu and they are so good together! The dressing soaks into the egg yolks and it's just uber tasty, so I recommend not skipping it!
• Mint leaves.

Dressing:

• Lime juice, fresh lime juice is best for this recipe.
• Fish sauce. See my guide on how to choose good quality fish sauce.
• Thai chili paste, also called nam prik pao. This is a key flavour in yum tua pu. You can buy nam prik pao at Asian stores, or make your own using my Thai chili paste recipe (it's not hard!)
• Coconut milk, read more about how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Garlic, grated or minced
• Thai chilies, finely chopped
• Sugar. Be prepared to adjust this amount as the Thai chili paste's sweetness can vary between brands.

How to Make Wing Bean Salad

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Prep The Proteins - Chicken, shrimp and eggs:

*We typically poach our chicken and shrimp, but you can also cook them however you like - grill, bake, etc.They just need to be cooked one way or another. You can also use leftover roast chicken for this.

1. For the eggs: Slowly add the eggs into a pot of boiling water and boil them for 8 minutes - this gets you medium-cooked eggs. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the eggs (cuz you'll need to water so don't drain it) and put them in cold water to cool.
2. For the chicken: Turn the temperature of the water down to about medium or medium low so the water is rapidly steaming, but not bubbling (this should be 165-175°F). Cut a chicken breast in half lengthwise (you only need half for this recipe). Salt the water until the water tastes like a well-seasoned soup, then add the chicken and poach until the chicken is fully cooked, about 7 minutes. Remove the chicken (keep the water) and once cool enough, pull into shreds with your hands.
3. For the shrimp: In the same pot you used to cook the chicken, bring the water to a boil and add the shrimp and poach them until done; 30 sec-1 min. Remove from water and cool.

For the Salad

1. Blanch the wing beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute, then remove from water and immediately add them to a big bowl of ice water.
2. Drain well and slice beans into ¼-inch slices crosswise. If using green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces on a bias.
3. Toast the dried coconut in a dry pan over medium high heat until it's got a deep brown colour; immediately remove from the pan.
4. Grate the garlic with a microplane into the bowl, then add finely minced chilies.

5. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, Thai chili paste and stir until the chili paste is dissolved. Add the coconut milk and stir to mix.
6. Add wing beans, shallots, and peanuts; toss to mix well.
7. Add the chicken, shrimp and toasted coconut and mix well.
8. Transfer onto a serving plate and serve alongside halved medium-boiled eggs. Serve with jasmine rice.

Wing Bean Salad (Yum Tua Pu)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: Serves 3-4

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

One of the most interesting and unique Thai salads, and also one of my favourites! Crunchy wing beans are tossed in a dressing enriched with coconut milk and Thai chili paste. With shredded chicken and poached eggs, it's filling enough to be a meal! You can sub green beans if wing beans are not available. 

---

Ingredients

• 175g wing beans or green beans
• ½ chicken breast*
• 6-8 shrimp*
• 3 Tbsp shredded coconut, toasted (see video for how to toast coconut on the stove)
• 1 Tbsp roasted peanuts, finely crushed
• ½ head shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 eggs (estimate about 1 egg per person)
• ⅓ cup mint leaves

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp Thai chili paste
• 3 Tbsp coconut milk
• 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
• 2-3 Thai chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar

Note: I'm providing instructions for poaching the chicken and the shrimp; however, you can cook them using whatever methods you wish (grill, bake, steam, sauté, etc.).

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

Want to save this recipe?

We can email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

Poaching chicken and shrimp: Heat a pot of water until 165 degrees Fahrenheit (water is steaming heavily but isn’t simmering yet), salt the water until the water tastes like a well-seasoned soup, then add chicken and poach until done, about 7 minutes or longer if poaching a whole breast. If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 F. Remove chicken and cool. Add shrimp and poach them until done; remove from water and cool.

When chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into shreds.

Blanching beans: Bring a large pot of water to a full boil and add enough salt until the water tastes like a well-seasoned soup. Add the wing beans and cook for 1 minute—it's important to use a large pot of water so that the water temperature doesn't drop drastically; if not using a large pot, cook in batches. Remove from water and immediately add them to a big bowl of ice water. Drain well and slice beans into ¼-inch slices crosswise. If using green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces on a diagonal.

Make medium-boiled eggs: Bring water to a full boil, gently lower eggs into the water and boil for 8 minutes. Remove from pot and immediately submerge them in a bowl of cold water. Peel them once cool enough to handle.

Assembly: Combine all dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until the chili paste is dissolved. Add wing beans, chicken, shrimp, shallots, toasted coconut, peanuts and mint; toss to mix well. Transfer onto a serving plate and serve alongside halved medium-boiled eggs.

Join us on Patreon for bonus content and rewards!

---

The Most Important Component: Nam Jim Seafood

There are really only 2 components to this dish, salmon and dressing, and the success of this dish relies entirely on the dressing (assuming your salmon is fresh). The dressing is in fact a sauce that's extremely important within Thai cuisine called nam jim seafood.

"Nam jim" means dipping sauce, and seafood, well, is seafood. It is the sauce that Thai people dip all kinds of seafood in. In fact, Thai people never do seafood without it, and sometimes we dip non-seafood in it as well (try it with crispy pork belly!)

I have shared a recipe for nam jim seafood before that was an all-purpose dipping sauce, but this recipe is slightly different as it was developed specifically to work in this application. You can, however, use this recipe as an all-purpose seafood sauce as well.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the the full recipe card below.

• Salmon. You want to buy salmon that is safe for eating raw, so when shopping, ask your fishmonger if it's okay for sashimi. I buy mine (from Sungiven for folks in Vancouver) frozen and specifically labelled as "sashimi salmon." More on this below.
• Garlic, you'll need some for the sauce, and if you want, some for garnish. Yes! Garlic for garnish! At Jeh O they put thinly sliced raw garlic on top and I was surprised to find that it actually tastes great together with the salmon. Just make sure you slice it really thin otherwise it'll be overpowering.
• Chilies, I use red Thai chilies for this, and feel free to reduce or increase the amount depending on your heat preference.
• Cilantro, stems and leaves all together.
• Lime juice, fresh only for this recipe!
• Fish sauce, read more about choosing good fish sauce here.
• Palm sugar, or light brown sugar. Learn more about palm sugar here.
• Salt, this is to replace some of the fish sauce to reduce the overall amount of liquid so that the sauce isn't too runny.

Step-By-Step:

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Blend all sauce ingredients until there are no more big chunks, but there are still some small bits. The amount in the recipe will likely be too small for a jug blender, so a bullet or immersion blender is great for this. Instructions for using a mortar and pestle is also provided in the recipe card.
2. Cut the salmon first so the pieces are about 2-inches wide, then slice them into ¼-inch thick strips.
3. Toss the salmon with the dressing.
4. plate and top with garlic slices, mint leaves, and lime slices for garnish, if desired. Eat it soon or it'll turn into ceviche!

Love seafood? You'd also love these!

Salted Fish Fried Rice in Thailand

In Thai, this dish is called khao pad kana pla kem ข้าวผัดคะน้าปลาเค็ม which literally means fried rice with Chinese broccoli (gai lan) and salted fish. The fish would normally be salt-cured king mackerel which is commonly available at any market.

It's a simple, rustic dish you can commonly find at food courts and some ahaan taam sung shops which are street-side restaurants that offer a variety of quick, wok-based dishes.

Fun fact: ahaan taam sung อาหารตามสั่ง means "food as you order," which conveys the idea that whatever you want, as long as they have ingredients and can be booked in the wok, they can make for you. Most commonly these are simple stir fries such as pad kra pao, fried rices and stir-fried noodles.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!