Spicy stink bean stir fry or pad sataw (ผัดสะตอ) is a classic Southern Thai dish loved by many. With a pungent smell, unique taste and texture, the beans are usually stir fried with shrimp and pork. It's REALLY good with steamed rice and very easy to make!
Unfamiliar with the stink bean, also known as petai, bitter beans, smelly beans, and sataw สะตอ? Check out my post about it here: How To Prepare Stink Beans.
Why This Recipe Works
Like kua gling, Stir-fried stink beans is a famous Southern Thai dish you can order at most Southern Thai food stalls or Southern Thai restaurants in Thailand (when they're in season, that is).
It can be made with the Thai shrimp paste (gapi กะปิ) or Thai red curry paste, but this recipe uses the latter. When it comes to protein, most of the time it's ground pork or shrimp, or both.
The stink bean itself is enjoyably nutty, crunchy and offers this pungent smell you either love or hate 😛 I highly encourage you to try it if you haven't done so. Everything about this food is just so unique - the texture, the flavor. I just can't get enough of the stuff.
Sataw, together with the aromas of the curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, and all the other ingredients, makes a perfect stir-fry to have with rice and a fried egg on top. Not to mention that you need no more than 30 minutes to stir fry everything in just one pan.
Make sure you serve this spicy Thai stir fried stink beans with my butterfly pea lemonade or Thai pink milk to help balance out the heat and make it a complete Thai meal.
Video Tutorial
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Thai Red Curry Paste: Here's my Thai red curry paste recipe. You can make it in advance and use it in this and other recipes such as this Thai Red Curry with Mushrooms. If you don't have the time or ingredients available, I recommend Mae Ploy Thai red curry paste.
Stink beans: These may come in pods or prepared, ready to cook in a pack. If you get them in pods, find out how you can prepare stink beans in my post here - How To Prepare Stink Beans - where you will find written instructions, tips, and a video tutorial as well.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Set a pan over medium heat and add oil to the pan.
Step 2: Once the oil is sizzling, add the Thai red curry paste and stir fry until fragrant.
Step 3: Add the ground pork and use a spatula to break it into small pieces. If the pan gets dry, you can add a little bit of water.
Step 4: Once the pork is cooked, add the shrimp and stir until it's almost done.
Step 5: Toss in the stink beans, add the fish sauce and sugar and stir thoroughly.
Step 6: Add the sliced chilis and kaffir lime leaves and stir fry for another minute before removing from heat. Serve with rice immediately.
Tips
1. You can cut or slice the chilis how you like, but I prefer to slice them diagonally for the look.
2. When you prepare the kaffir lime leaves for this stir fry, devein them first. That's what makes tearing them easy! Instead of throwing in whole leaves, tearing them before adding to the pan also makes them more fragrant.
3. With shrimp as one of the main ingredients, you might want to cook this stink bean stir fry enough for just a meal or two. Reheating can make the shrimp very dry.
4. If the amount of Thai red curry paste in the recipe seems like too much, start with less. You can taste test and add more as you go.
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Thai Stink Bean Stir Fry | Pad Sataw | ผัดสะตอ
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 10 shrimp peeled and deveined
- 5.3 oz ground pork
- 5.3 oz stink beans peeled and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 5 red Thai chilis sliced diagonally
- 6-7 kaffir lime leaves deveined and hand-torn
Instructions
- Set a pan over medium heat and add oil to the pan.
- Once the oil is sizzling, add the Thai red curry paste and stir fry until fragrant.
- Add the ground pork and use a spatula to break it into small pieces. If the pan gets dry, you can add a little bit of water.
- Once the pork is cooked, add the shrimp and stir until it's almost done.
- Toss in the stink beans, add the fish sauce and sugar and stir thoroughly.
- Add the sliced chilis and kaffir lime leaves and stir fry for another minute before removing from heat. Serve with rice immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can cut or slice the chilis how you like, but I prefer to slice them diagonally for the look.
- When you prepare the kaffir lime leaves for this stir fry, devein them first. That's what makes tearing them easy! Instead of throwing in whole leaves, tearing them before adding to the pan also makes them more fragrant.
- With shrimp as one of the main ingredients, you might want to cook this stink bean stir fry enough for just a meal or two. Reheating can make the shrimp very dry.
- If the amount of Thai red curry paste in the recipe seems like too much, start with less. You can taste test and add more as you go.