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Sekai Gohan
Yam Thua Phu: Central Thai Wing Bean Salad with Toasted Coconut
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Winged beans (ถั่วพู, thua phu), sliced | 1 cup | The crunch and the green, grassy flavor |
| Reduced coconut cream (hua kathi khiao) | ½ cup | Richness that binds the salad and softens the dressing |
| Grated coconut, fresh or frozen (maphrao khut) | ¼ cup | Toasted golden for a nutty crunch |
| Brown sugar (namtan sai daeng) | 1 tbsp | Caramelizes and crisps the toasted coconut |
| Minced pork, stir-fried until cooked through (mu sap) | ½ cup | Savory body |
| Whiteleg shrimp, peeled with tail on, deveined and butterflied (kung chi hae) | 5, about ¾ oz (20–25 g) each | Sweet seafood bite, blanched |
| Fresh bird's-eye chilies, sliced (phrik khi nu) | 5 | Bright, sharp heat |
| Shallots, thinly sliced (hom daeng) | ¼ cup | Pungent sweetness and crunch |
| Roasted peanuts (thua lisong khua) | ¼ cup | Toastiness and bite |
| Fried dried bird's-eye chilies (phrik khi nu haeng thot) | 5 | Crisp, roasted heat on top |
| Fried shallots (hom jiao) | To taste | Garnish and aroma |
| White sugar (namtan sai), for the dressing | 1 tbsp | Sweetness in the dressing |
| Fish sauce (nam pla), for the dressing | 2 tbsp | Salt and savor |
| Lime juice (nam manao), for the dressing | 3 tbsp | The main sourness |
| Nam prik pao (น้ำพริกเผา, Thai roasted chili paste), for the dressing | 2 tbsp | Sweet-hot depth, the center of the flavor |
Steps
1Trim and slice the winged beans
Wash the pods and cut off the stem end and the tip. Run a fingernail along each side; if a string lifts, pull it away, though young pods often have none. Slice the pods on the diagonal about ⅝ inch (1.5 cm) thick and drop the slices into a bowl of lightly salted water as you go, which keeps the cut edges from darkening. Drain them in a colander once all are cut. The slices should be bright green, with clean, star-shaped edges and no brown at the cut.
2Blanch the pods and chill them in ice water
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and set the bowl of ice water right beside it. Add the sliced pods and blanch about 30 seconds for thin pods and about 1 minute for thick ones. Lift them straight into the ice water with a slotted spoon and leave them until cold. Drain well, then press them between paper towels. They are ready when they are a vivid green, still crunchy when bitten, and no water beads on the surface.
3Toast the coconut with brown sugar
Put the grated coconut in a dry, shallow pan over low heat and stir it constantly. When most of it is close to golden and smells nutty, sprinkle in the brown sugar. Keep stirring as the sugar melts and coats the shreds, until the whole pan is golden and lightly crisp. Turn off the heat and tip the coconut onto a plate to cool. As it cools it firms into loose, crunchy clusters.
4Mix the dressing
Put the white sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and nam prik pao in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved and the chili paste has loosened into the liquid. Taste it with the tip of a spoon: it should hit sour and salty first, with the sweet-hot paste behind. Leave it as it is for now; the final seasoning comes after the toss. It is done when no sugar grit sits on the bottom and the dressing is an even, glossy amber.
5Cook the pork and blanch the shrimp
Stir-fry the minced pork in a pan, breaking it into crumbs, until it is cooked all the way through with no pink left. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and drop in the butterflied shrimp. Lift them out the moment they change color and curl. Overcooked shrimp turn tough, so stay at the pot. Simmer the coconut cream in a small pot until it thickens, then let it cool. The shrimp are done when the translucent gray is gone, the flesh is white to coral, and the opened backs have spread like petals.
6Toss the salad
Put the blanched pods, pork and shrimp in a wide mixing bowl, pour the dressing over and toss so everything is coated. Add the fresh chilies, sliced shallots, peanuts and coconut cream and toss again. Taste now and correct with a little more fish sauce or lime if the flavor sits flat. Scatter in the toasted coconut and fold it through with a few quick turns. Stop when every piece is lightly glossed and the pods still snap.
7Plate and finish
Pile the salad onto a serving plate in a loose mound and arrange the shrimp on top where people can see them. Scatter the fried dried chilies and the fried shallots over everything. Spoon any dressing left in the bowl around the base. Serve right away, while the fried shallots still crackle and the coconut is crisp.