This one's a flavor powerhouse; if you're looking for a vegetarian-friendly and ALMOST vegan option for dinner one night this week (as you should for the betterment of our environment), this should become a cheap and easy staple. Phat Phrik Khing goes by many spellings but you should see it on the menu of any reputable Thai restaurant. Sometimes chicken - sometimes shrimp - always delicious.
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There's two ways to prepare this dish - both equally delicious. You can:
A) Grab out your mortar and pestle and some legit staple ingredients from your local friendly neighborhood Asian market. B) Take a shortcut (no shame) with perfectly good red curry paste you find at your grocery store. If you go with option B, feel free to skip the section where I outline how to make the paste. Shopping List:
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Prep:
Slice shallots lengthwise so you get somewhat long strips.
Start draining your block of tofu over some paper towels - the less liquid the better, but you don't have to go crazy and squeeze it. Just get the surface moisture out.
Preheat some neutral oil (canola preferably) over medium-ish heat. You're not looking to really saute the shallots - just soften them to translucent and pliable.
Rinse your jasmine rice until the water is clear again. You guys do this, right? Also get the appropriate amount of water going in a pot with a tight fitting lid for said rice.
Trim green beans to your liking. Some like them long, others, not so much. Definitely get that garbage inedible stalk fragment off the end, though.
Prep (Curry Paste):
Bust out that mortar and pestle and start grinding everything together. Here's the joy in fresh curry paste, you can make it as hot as you want. Don't like ginger? Skimp on it. Need some more funk in your life? Up the ground tamarind. Depending on the amount of chiles and lemongrass you use, you can save this stuff for leftovers, but you're basically looking for a few tablespoons of the stuff for this dish.
The Business:
Start cooking your rice. Everything else should be done in the 15 or so minutes it takes to get that going.
Par-cook those beans. You can do this by steaming them in a microwave if you're cool with that or a quick few minute blanch in rolling water will do the trick. Try to do this as late in the game as possible as you don't want them turning a gross AF deep green. Keep that color in them.
Throw the shallots and garlic into the oil and let those go for a while. Once they're soft, feel free to either cook the tofu now in the remaining oil and shallots to get crispier tofu, or if you're lazy like me you can kind of stew/braise them in the curry paste and deliciousness.
You'll also want to turn up the heat now as you put the tofu in - you don't want this stuff to disintegrate in the pan.
Whatever route you go, toss that curry paste in and let it cook out and make your house smell like magic. Once it's coated all over the tofu squeeze a lime into and give that ol' fish sauce bottle a healthy few shakes. Now your house should smell like feet. But delicious feet, y'know?
Be pretty gentle with tofu because, you know, it has feelings too. It will break apart on you if you throw it around too hard. You could even say 'be gingerly' with it. (Get it? Because there's ginger in the curry paste?)
Get those beans in (assuming you've let them dry a little if they're SUPER wet). Stir to combine and coat with deliciousness.
Serve with rice.
Garnish with chives and Thai basil.
Transport yourself to almost vegan-land.
Slice shallots lengthwise so you get somewhat long strips.
Start draining your block of tofu over some paper towels - the less liquid the better, but you don't have to go crazy and squeeze it. Just get the surface moisture out.
Preheat some neutral oil (canola preferably) over medium-ish heat. You're not looking to really saute the shallots - just soften them to translucent and pliable.
Rinse your jasmine rice until the water is clear again. You guys do this, right? Also get the appropriate amount of water going in a pot with a tight fitting lid for said rice.
Trim green beans to your liking. Some like them long, others, not so much. Definitely get that garbage inedible stalk fragment off the end, though.
Prep (Curry Paste):
Bust out that mortar and pestle and start grinding everything together. Here's the joy in fresh curry paste, you can make it as hot as you want. Don't like ginger? Skimp on it. Need some more funk in your life? Up the ground tamarind. Depending on the amount of chiles and lemongrass you use, you can save this stuff for leftovers, but you're basically looking for a few tablespoons of the stuff for this dish.
The Business:
Start cooking your rice. Everything else should be done in the 15 or so minutes it takes to get that going.
Par-cook those beans. You can do this by steaming them in a microwave if you're cool with that or a quick few minute blanch in rolling water will do the trick. Try to do this as late in the game as possible as you don't want them turning a gross AF deep green. Keep that color in them.
Throw the shallots and garlic into the oil and let those go for a while. Once they're soft, feel free to either cook the tofu now in the remaining oil and shallots to get crispier tofu, or if you're lazy like me you can kind of stew/braise them in the curry paste and deliciousness.
You'll also want to turn up the heat now as you put the tofu in - you don't want this stuff to disintegrate in the pan.
Whatever route you go, toss that curry paste in and let it cook out and make your house smell like magic. Once it's coated all over the tofu squeeze a lime into and give that ol' fish sauce bottle a healthy few shakes. Now your house should smell like feet. But delicious feet, y'know?
Be pretty gentle with tofu because, you know, it has feelings too. It will break apart on you if you throw it around too hard. You could even say 'be gingerly' with it. (Get it? Because there's ginger in the curry paste?)
Get those beans in (assuming you've let them dry a little if they're SUPER wet). Stir to combine and coat with deliciousness.
Serve with rice.
Garnish with chives and Thai basil.
Transport yourself to almost vegan-land.
