Pad Prik King
ผัดพริกขิง
Pad Prik King is a dry stir-fry made with red curry paste, long beans, and your choice of protein — most commonly pork or tofu. Unlike coconut-based curries, this dish is intense, fragrant, and assertively spiced without richness.
Cultural Origin
Pad prik king is a Central Thai dry stir-fried curry whose name (literally 'stir-fried with ginger chili paste') is misleading — the paste does not actually contain ginger. It uses a red curry paste fried in oil with kaffir lime leaf and long beans or yardlong beans, plus pork, chicken or crispy fish, producing a near-dry, intensely flavoured dish. It is associated with home cooking in the Central Plains rather than royal court cuisine.
Regional Variants
| Region | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Central | The Bangkok-Central version is dry, salty-sweet and fragrant with kaffir lime leaf, yardlong beans and pork or crispy fish. |
| Southern | Southern versions push the chili higher and may add sator beans or seafood. |
Allergens & Sensitivities
Key Ingredients
- red curry paste
- long beans
- pork or tofu
- fish sauce
- palm sugar
- kaffir lime leaves
- vegetable oil
Taste profile
- Salty
- fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
- Sweet
- palm sugar, coconut
- Sour
- lime, tamarind, fermentation
- Umami
- dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock
Intense and concentrated rather than rich — there's no coconut milk to soften it, so the red curry paste's chilli, galangal and lemongrass come through directly, cut by the long beans' crunch and the kaffir lime leaf's citrus lift.
How Pad Prik King Is Made
- 1
Paste frying
Red curry paste is fried in oil over low-to-medium heat until it darkens slightly and releases its aroma.
- 2
Protein
Pork, chicken or tofu is added to the fried paste and cooked through, coating each piece.
- 3
Beans
Long beans cut into short lengths go in and are stir-fried until just tender but still crisp.
- 4
Seasoning
Fish sauce and palm sugar are added to balance the paste's heat, with the dish kept deliberately dry rather than saucy.
- 5
Finish
Shredded kaffir lime leaf is tossed through at the very end for a sharp citrus note that fades if added too early.
When It’s Eaten
A rice-and-curry counter staple, ordered as one of several dishes spooned over rice rather than eaten alone, available at lunch across the country.
How to Order It
- ผัดพริกขิงเต้าหู้
- pad prik king tao hu
- dry red curry stir-fry with tofu
- ใส่ไข่ดาว
- sai khai dao
- with a fried egg
What people get wrong
Expecting the texture of a coconut-milk curry; because it's stir-fried rather than simmered in coconut milk, the sauce clings to the ingredients rather than pooling on the plate.
Where to Try It
Ubiquitous at rice-and-curry shops (khao gaeng) across Thailand — one of the most common cafeteria-style dishes.
Tips
- Tofu version (pad prik king tofu) is one of the best naturally vegan Thai dishes.
- Ask for extra long beans if you like the crunchy vegetable element.