This Pad Prik Khing is absolutely packed with color and flavor, and is one of my dad’s all-time favorite recipes. He orders it from his favorite Thai restaurant at least a few times every month, so naturally I had to come up with a homemade version for him. In Thai restaurants, seitan is sometimes often referred to as “mock duck,” and it is also known as “wheat gluten,” but regardless of what name it bears, it is always a delicious flavor sponge that becomes infused with the savory red Thai curry sauce that is the hallmark of Pad Prik Khing. The ingredient list for this flavorsome dish is surprisingly short, but they marry perfectly to produce a truly outstanding result.
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This recipe calls for pre-made seitan, which you can either make yourself (it’s SO much easier than you think it’ll be!) or buy it at the store. If you are vegan or your diet otherwise consists largely of plant-based foods, I strongly recommend making the seitan yourself. The seitan I use is my Asian seitan from scratch recipe. On the other hand, if you’re more interested in just dabbling with plant-based recipes within the greater context of a carnivorous or pescatarian diet and you aren’t going to be making multiple other recipes using the seitan (or multiple batches of this Pad Prik Khing), then buying your seitan at the store is probably your best bet. You can find it in the same refrigerated section that you’ll find tofu in, and sometimes you’ll also find it in the frozen health food section.
Heat a skillet or wok on medium-high heat and add 1 tsp oil and the seitan (I omit the oil entirely since I use a non-stick wok). Brown the seitan, then remove it from the skillet and set aside.
Add the rest of the oil to the skillet, then add the garlic and red Thai curry paste. Stir until mixed and cook for about a minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the lime juice and zest and stir well.
Add the green beans and toss to cover in the red curry paste.
Pour in the water, honey, and fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce). Cook until the green beans are tender, about 5-10 minutes.
Add the seitan and toss to cover in the sauce. Cook until the seitan have warmed through, about 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl or plate and serve immediately.
Seitan Pad Prik Khing
Ingredients
- 2 cups pre-made seitan strips
- 1 Tbsp +1 tsp avocado oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
- 2 Tbsp red Thai curry paste (Thai Kitchen makes a great version)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 oz green beans, trimmed
- 1 whole lime, juiced and ½ of it zested
- 1½ Tbsp fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce)
- 1 tsp honey (or agave syrup to make it vegan)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp red Thai chili pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a skillet or wok on medium-high heat and add 1 tsp oil and the seitan (I omit the oil entirely since I use a non-stick wok). Brown the seitan, then remove it from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the rest of the oil to the skillet, then add the garlic and red Thai curry paste. Stir until mixed and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the lime juice and zest and stir well. Add the green beans and toss to cover in the red curry paste.
- Pour in the water, honey, and fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce). Cook until the green beans are tender, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add the seitan and toss to cover in the sauce. Cook until the seitan have warmed through, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl or plate and serve immediately.