Serves3 or 4 (main course)
- Active time:1 hr
- Start to finish:1 hr
May 2008
Pounding the spice paste with a mortar and pestle is hard work, but Prasan ("Pip") Fargrajang insists that’s what brings out all the nuanced flavors. Our advice: Make a few batches of the paste and freeze them for another time.
For seasoning paste
-
1
stalk fresh lemongrass, root end trimmed and 1 or 2 outer layers discarded
-
3
(2- to 3-inch) dried hot Thai chiles, including seeds
-
3
tablespoons
minced shallot
-
2
tablespoons
minced garlic
-
2
tablespoons
shrimp powder or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried peeled shrimp (see cooks’ note, below)
-
1
teaspoon
minced cilantro root or stem
-
1
teaspoon
minced Kaffir lime zest or regular lime zest
-
1
teaspoon
minced peeled galangal (fresh or thawed frozen)
-
1
teaspoon
kosher salt
-
5
black peppercorns
-
1
teaspoon
Thai shrimp paste
For beans and pork
-
1/2
lb
long beans or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
-
3/4
lb
boneless pork shoulder
-
3
tablespoons
peanut or vegetable oil
-
1
tablespoon
Asian fish sauce
-
1
tablespoon
packed grated palm sugar or light brown sugar
-
3
medium Kaffir lime leaves (fresh or thawed frozen; 2 sections each), ribs discarded and leaves minced
Cook beans and pork:
-
Cook beans in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water (1 teaspoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain again.
-
Pat pork dry, then cut across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 by 1 inch).
-
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then cook seasoning paste, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork, tossing to coat, then spread out in skillet and brown, turning occasionally (to keep paste from burning), about 2 minutes. Add fish sauce, palm sugar, and beans and cook, tossing, until pork is just cooked through and beans are hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and toss with lime leaves.
Cooks’ notes: - If using dried shrimp, grind to a powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder or use mortar and pestle.
- Seasoning paste can be made ahead and chilled, covered, up to 1 week or frozen 1 month.