Stir-Fried Pork with Long Beans: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves3 or 4 (main course)

Active time:1 hr
Start to finish:1 hr

ADAPTED FROM PRASAN FARGRAJANG, THE THAI HOUSE, BANGKOK, THAILAND

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

Equipment:

a smooth stone mortar and pestle
Accompaniment:

white rice

Make paste:

Mince 1 tablespoon lemongrass from root end. Put minced lemongrass and remaining paste ingredients in mortar and vigorously pound to a smooth paste using pestle (most chile seeds should be crushed), 6 to 8 minutes.

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.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes