Winged Bean whose existence’s virtually unknown in the West 30 years ago was hailed by the New York Times as the plant that would solve the planet’s malnutrition in 1982. Thai people had been enjoying this wonderfully eccentric looking plant for generations. Stories of it being served in the royal palace were numerous, and recipes were handed down over generations. Easily grown in the tropic, and so high in nutrition that it was also believed to cure many common cold and flu. Whether or not that’s true, the truth was this yummy plant was high in vitamin A, C and very high in Protein that vegans out there should really get to know.
This Winged Bean Salad recipe was one of my favourites. It’s easy to make, very light, yet packed with super high nutrition. Perfect on its own or as part of a set (as you may know, we in Thailand enjoyed our meals in a carefully put together set that compliment, shared among friends and family. But that’s another story for another time.
Ingredients:
- 100 g winged beans, trimmed
- A pinch of salt
- 50g shredded pork or chicken, poach quickly in hot water to cook, set aside
- 50g shrimp, peeled, poach quickly in hot water to cook, set aside
- 1 tablespoon of ground dried prawns
- 1 cup of grated toasted coconut
- 2 tablespoon of coarsely ground roasted peanuts
- 2 TBS of Shallots, slices into fine wedges, deep fried until golden brown, set aside
- 3 tablespoon of coconut cream (first squeeze from dried old coconut with little water, or if you don’t have access to this, you should be able to buy in a supermarket)
- 2 boiled eggs, cooked to your liking. I like mine soft boil or onsen style.
Ingredients for Dressing:
- 2 tbs of Nam Prik Phao or Smoked Chilli Paste (I would buy one from the store, making it is called for another recipe)
- 1 Tsp of Palm Sugar
- 1 Tsp of Lime Juice
- 1 Tsp of Fish Sauce
- 1 TBS of Tamarind paste
Method
- Make the dressing by combining all ingredients together. Taste it. This lovely Thai salad will have a rich Salty top note, sour middle note and then sweet base note.
- Slice the Winged Bean into fine pieces. Drop into boiling salted water, then remove the pot from heat and wait to see that it has changed colour. Drain, mix with the dressing and set aside.
- Combine the remaining ingredients and finish with drizzling of coconut cream and serve with sliced boiled eggs.
Akaryn hotel group will continue to bring you helpful at home tips during these uncertain times #FromAKARYNwithLove
