Pad Prik Khing with Squid

Pad Prik Khing is one of popular Khao Khaeng dishes. Raan Khao Khaeng is a type of traditional Thai diner; the style of this diner is similar to cafeteria that all the food, it can be 20 – 30 different kinds of items are ready made and display for customers to choose and food will be served to you at the table.

Raan Khao Khaeng is one of food services that play a big part of city life; people who living in cities from low level labours to white collars rely on it as it is served as a breakfast, lunch and or dinner for many people. Every time when government increase the price of cooking gas (In Thailand, the price of cooking gas is controlled by government) and the prices of Khao Khaeng food will increase as well. Often the prices of food increase more than cooking gas by percentage because it’s easy to take an advantage of increasing the price of food each time by 5 baths rather than 1 or 2 bath base on the part that increased. The gas price increased last time was in February 2013 and the prices of Khao Khaeng food are still at 25 – 40 baths per dish. (Bath is, Thai currency, about 30 bath= 1 USD)  We use the prices of Khoa Khaeng measure the economy in a sense of everyday life of cost living so the inflation rate in Thailand is still pretty good as Khoa Khaeng food prices are not much different than many years before.

This recipe, I use curry paste from a can instead of making curry paste from scratch so that people who don’t have much time on cooking will be able to enjoy some Thai food. Some time I will post another recipe with homemade curry paste on this blog as well.

*** Prik Khing curry paste in a can is available at Asian grocery stores.

     

Level of spiciness - mild

For 2 – 3 servings

Ingredients

2                      Fresh squid tubes, about 300g.(or 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts)

1 ½ cups          Snake beans, cut into 1 inch

2 tbsps             Prik Khing Chilli Jam or Prik Khing Curry Paste (114g./can)

5                      Kaffir lime leaves, chop into very thin stripes

2 cloves           Garlic, chopped fine

 ²⁄₃ tsp              Sugar

1 tsp                Fish sauce

2 tbsp              Vegetable oil

2 – 3tbsps       Water

Instruction

1. Clean the squid and cut the squid tubes in half lengthways. Cut a criss-cross pattern on the inside of squid. Cut into 1 ¼ inch x 2 inch. Or if use chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch x 1 ¾ inch.
2. Heat the steel wok over high heat with 1 tbsp oil and swirl to coat. Add squid or chicken and chopped garlic, and stir-fry for 2 minutes and add curry paste. Mix well.
3. Stir in snake beans, sugar, fish sauce, the other tbsp of oil. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes during the process adds 1 -2 tbsp of water before remove from heat stir in kaffir lime leaves.
4. Serve with steamed rice.