Pad Prik Khing Gai
ผัดพริกขิงไก่·(pat-prik-king-gai)
Weeknight Kab Khao: The Thai Family Table
In one of history's great culinary paradoxes, Pad Prik Khing translates literally to 'chili ginger stir-fry,' yet contains absolutely zero ginger. What it does contain is the fiery, unapologetic soul of a Thai grandmother's kitchen. It’s a dry curry—no pools of coconut milk here—just a fiercely reduced red paste clinging lovingly to chicken and aggressively crunchy yardlong beans. The real secret? Pounding a handful of dried shrimp into a high-quality store-bought paste. It takes five extra minutes and bridges the gap between a standard American kitchen and a Bangkok wet market.
Before you start
Prepare your mise en place.
Stir-frying waits for no one; have your chicken sliced, beans blanched, shrimp pounded, and seasonings measured before that wok ever touches the flame.
Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken thighs1 lb
- yardlong beans or green beans3 cup
- Maesri Prik Khing curry paste4 tbsp
- dried shrimp2 tbsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- palm sugar2 tsp
- fish sauce2 tsp
- makrut lime leaves5 med
- red jalapeño1 med
Method
- 01
Pound the dried shrimp and vigorously mix it into the curry paste.
Pulverize the soaked dried shrimp in a mortar and pestle until it becomes a fluffy, fibrous powder. This is the authentic grandmother's secret that thickens the paste and adds a massive punch of savory umami.
- 02
Flash-blanch the beans in boiling salted water, then immediately shock them in ice water.
Drop the beans into a rapid boil for exactly 60 to 90 seconds, then plunge them directly into a bowl of ice water and drain well. This native trick stops the cooking process and sets the chlorophyll, guaranteeing your beans stay brilliantly green and perfectly crunchy instead of turning to mush in the wok.
- 03
Bloom the enriched curry paste in hot oil.
Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat with the neutral oil. Once shimmering, add the curry paste and shrimp mixture, stirring continuously for a minute or two until highly fragrant and you see the red oil beginning to separate from the solids.
- 04
Stir-fry the chicken until cooked through.
Crank the heat to medium-high and toss in the sliced chicken thighs. Toss them thoroughly to coat them in the red paste, cooking for about 4 to 5 minutes until completely opaque.
- 05
Season and balance the flavors.
Lower the heat slightly, adding the palm sugar and just one teaspoon of the fish sauce to start. Toss to combine and allow the sugar to melt, then taste it—it should be savory, spicy, and distinctly sweet. Commercial pastes vary wildly in salt content, so only add the remaining fish sauce if it needs more salinity.
- 06
Toss in the blanched beans and lime leaves.
Add the drained beans into the wok along with half of the julienned makrut lime leaves. Toss rapidly for 30 to 45 seconds just to heat the beans through and allow the essential oils of the lime leaves to bloom in the heat.
- 07
Garnish and serve immediately.
Transfer to a plate—it should look dry, with the fiery red paste clinging to the meat and veg. Garnish with the remaining lime leaves and sliced red chilies, and serve with plenty of steamed jasmine rice.
Notes
Render pork belly for a richer, historic variation.
Historically, rendered pork fat and pork belly were the default proteins here. Add sliced pork belly to a cold wok, render the fat over medium heat until crispy, and use that extracted fat to fry your curry paste.
Make it vegetarian.
Swap the chicken for firm, deep-fried tofu, omit the dried shrimp entirely, and replace the fish sauce with a high-quality Thai thin soy sauce or vegetarian mushroom sauce.
From Cook Thai in America.