This healthy, easy and quick stir-fry is typical of Thai meal in a bowl recipes. You can substitue pork for the chicken, or a melange of seafood. Sometimes I use scallops and shrimp in this recipe, but I think chicken or lean pork taste the best with the green beans.

You can use Long Beans (Tua Phu) or regular fillet beans in this dish, or even the Winged Beans would be a fun alternative. Tua Phu range in length from 3" to as much as a foot long. They have four ruffley frilly edges forming wings along the entire length of the beas. They are yummy lightly cooked or raw in salads and stir-fry dishes. They have a delicate flavour a little bit like asparagus and sometimes are called asparagus peas. I love using them as they look pretty a bit exotic. They can be found in the summer in most Asian markets.

Chile Fried Chicken with Yardlong Beans
(Phat phrik khing Gai kap thua fak yao)

Ingredients for Chile Paste
3 ea Dried Thai Dragon chiles
-(or 3 tsp. Thai red ground chile)
7 ea Shallots
2 Garlic Bulbs (whole bulbs not cloves!)
1 tsp Galangal
1 Tbs Minced lemon grass
5 ea Pepper corns
1 tsp Chopped coriander/cilantro root
1 tsp Grated kaffir lime rind (or lime peel)
4 ea Kaffir lime leaves, slivered
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Shrimp paste (Kapi) (this is an ESSENTIAL ingredient)
2 Tbs Ground dried shrimp

other ingredients-------------------------
1 lb Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
1/2 lb Yard-long beans
1 Tbs. peanut oil
2 - 3 tsp Date Palm sugar to taste
2 tb Fish sauce (Nam Pla)

Garnish with Crumbled Pork Cracklings (optional if limiting fats)

Preparation

Place the chile paste ingredients in a mortar and pound with the pestle until
thoroughly incorporated.

Cut the chicken into 3" long matchstick pieces marinate in 1 Tbs. fish sauce.

Cut yardlong beans into 3" inch lengths, steam lightly until almost cooked.

Heat wok (or large skillet), when smoking add oil, fry the chicken
until done, then remove the from the pan and set aside.

Add the chile paste to the wok and fry until aromatic (be sure and open windows before doing this), then add the chicken, sugar, fish sauce, and beans. Stir-fry until hot.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
* Optional Garnish with crumbled pork cracklings