Pad Prik Gaeng Moo Krob (ผัดพริกแกงหมูกรอบ)

The fifteen-minute answer to leftover curry paste

In Thailand, pad prik gaeng is what happens to the half-jar of red curry paste sitting in the fridge after a big gaeng phet. Instead of simmering it into a soup, you fry the paste in hot oil until it smells toasted, then toss meat and vegetables through it. The result is a dry, clingy, chilli-oil sheen on every piece — all the flavour of a red curry with none of the broth.

With crispy pork belly (moo krob) it becomes a favourite from khao gaeng counters and rice-shop menus: the crackling adds crunch against the soft, glossy beans. A Pantip thread on the dish shows just how seriously Thai cooks take it — one poster spent years visiting every street stall near his home trying to find a pad prik gaeng moo as good as the one his local chef made before closing shop.

The Recipe For 2–3 servings; about 15 minutes. Moo krob (crispy pork belly) is sold ready-made by Chinese barbecue stalls and Thai butchers; roast pork belly with crackling is the closest UK substitute.

Works with any protein: sliced pork, minced pork, chicken, prawns or squid all appear across the sources. Swap long beans for green beans or asparagus. For khao pad prik gaeng (the fried-rice version Thai Aroy Dee serves "with rice"), fold cooked jasmine rice through the finished stir-fry and fry for two minutes more.

The Method

1. Prep first, because the wok is fast. Have the pork cut, beans cut, leaves sliced and sauces measured before the pan goes on — the whole dish takes 5–7 minutes once the heat is on.
2. Fry the curry paste. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat, add the curry paste and stir until it smells toasted and the oil turns red, about a minute. Most sources fry the paste first; one adds the pork first, then the paste.
3. Add the crispy pork. Stir to coat every piece in the paste, 30–60 seconds. Keep the heat moderate so the crackling doesn't burn.
4. Add the long beans and a splash of liquid. Stir-fry for a minute, add the stock or water, and let it bubble down. Kapook uses chicken stock; most home cooks just use water.
5. Season. Fish sauce and sugar, plus oyster sauce if you want the glossier Chinese-influenced version. The paste is already salty, so season lightly at first and taste.
6. Finish with the aromatics. Stir in the kaffir lime leaves and holy basil, turn off the heat, and serve immediately over jasmine rice. The leaves go in last — frying them long turns them bitter.

Where Thai Sources Disagree

How Western Versions Get It Wrong

• Burning the curry paste — it goes from fragrant to acrid in seconds. Keep the wok moving and have the pork ready to drop in.
• Putting moo krob in early — the pork is already cooked; it only needs to coat and warm. Fry it too long and the crackling goes leathery.
• Adding the kaffir lime leaves too early — that makes them bitter. They go in at the very end.
• Seasoning blindly — the paste contains shrimp paste and salt, so taste before adding fish sauce.

UK Ingredient Notes

• Moo krob is rare outside Thai/Chinese butcher shops in the UK — use roast pork belly with crackling from a butcher, or pan-crisp thick-cut pork belly slices.
• Long beans are common in Asian grocers; green beans work but soften faster.
• Kaffir lime leaves freeze well — buy a bag and keep it in the freezer.
• Thai red curry paste (Maesri, Mae Ploy) is stocked by most UK supermarkets' world-food aisles.

Sources

This recipe is translated from the following Thai-language sources. Where they disagree, we've said so.