Stir-Fried Pork with Curry Paste (Pad Prik King)
Thin-sliced pork and crunchy long beans stir-fried in a dry, pounded red curry paste until deeply fragrant — no coconut milk, just bold chile, garlic and lemongrass heat clinging to every piece. A classic quick dinner from Thai home kitchens.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Pound the curry paste
In a mortar or small blender, combine the soaked chilies, lemongrass, galangal, shallots, garlic, lime zest, shrimp paste and salt. Pound or blend, adding a splash of water only if needed, until you get a smooth, fairly dry paste with no coarse bits.
- 8 dried red chilies (soaked)
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 15 g galangal
- 5 shallots
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kaffir lime zest
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth and deep red-orange, with no large pieces left
Fry the paste
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the curry paste and fry, stirring often, until it turns a shade darker, smells deeply fragrant and the oil starts to separate at the edges. This step cooks out the raw bite of the chilies and garlic, so don't rush it.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- all curry paste (from step 1)
✅ Done when: the paste is very fragrant and small beads of oil appear around it
Cook the pork
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Add the beans and season
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Finish and serve
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Pound the curry paste
In a mortar or small blender, combine the soaked chilies, lemongrass, galangal, shallots, garlic, lime zest, shrimp paste and salt. Pound or blend, adding a splash of water only if needed, until you get a smooth, fairly dry paste with no coarse bits.
- 8 dried red chilies (soaked)
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 15 g galangal
- 5 shallots
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kaffir lime zest
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth and deep red-orange, with no large pieces left
Fry the paste
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the curry paste and fry, stirring often, until it turns a shade darker, smells deeply fragrant and the oil starts to separate at the edges. This step cooks out the raw bite of the chilies and garlic, so don't rush it.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- all curry paste (from step 1)
✅ Done when: the paste is very fragrant and small beads of oil appear around it
Cook the pork
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Add the beans and season
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Finish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Pad Prik King belongs to a family of Thai dishes built on a pounded dry curry paste rather than a soupy, coconut-milk curry. The paste, called prik king, is fried in oil until fragrant and then used to coat meat and vegetables directly, giving a concentrated, almost roasted chile flavor rather than a creamy sauce.
Long beans and pork are the most common pairing, though the same paste is used with other meats or fish. It is an everyday dish in Thai households, often served alongside a simple soup to balance its heat.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It shows a different side of Thai curry cooking: dry, intensely aromatic and clinging to every piece of food, instead of swimming in coconut milk.
💡 Fun Fact
The name 'prik king' literally translates to 'chile ginger,' yet the traditional dish contains no fresh ginger at all — it relies on fingerroot (krachai) and galangal instead, a naming quirk that still puzzles many cooks.
Thailand (central and southern home kitchens)
13.76°N, 100.50°E
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