Healthy and yummy wing bean salad

Name of the dish: Wing bean salad

Introduction: Thai cuisine is essentially a mixture of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined together to give that perfect balance of taste. Thai food is known for its balance of three out of four fundamental taste senses: sour, sweet and salty. The emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components has made Thai food internationally famous. Thai salads are probably among most wanted dishes when it comes to Thai foods. These salads are a culinary delight in every bite bursting with flavor and texture. They are healthy, tasty, and refreshingly different, the reason why it has become popular and preferred by health conscious people.

Recipe: Wing bean salad or “yum thua pu” in Thai is one of the most wanted Thai salads mainly because of its nutritional value and health benefits. The wing beans, which is main component of the dish, offers an abundance of essential nutrients, including protein, complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, calcium, iron, and fiber. The spices and fresh herbs used in the dish such as turmeric,coriander, lemongrass, and fresh chilies help increase your immunity and disease-fighting power.

Complexity level: Easy

Time taken: Half an hour

Ingredients:

• Wing beans- 2 cups
• Toasted coconut- 1/4 cup
• Roasted peanuts- 2 teaspoons
• Roasted chili paste- 2 tablespoons
• Tamarind paste- 2 tablespoons (about 2 teaspoons of tamarind pulp is added to 2 tablespoons of hot water)
• Coconut milk- 3/4 cup
• Lime juice- 1 tablespoon
• Fish sauce- 1½ teaspoons
• Palm sugar- 1 teaspoon
• Vegetable oil
• Medium sized shrimp- 2-3
• Eggs- 2

For garnish:

• Small dried chilies- 3-4
• Shallots- 2 tablespoons

Process:

1. Take fresh coconut meat and slice it in form of matchstick size strips (size should be about 2 cm long). Then remove the skin of the shallots and slice it very thin.
2. Roast the coconut on medium heat in a dry pan until the color turns light brown. Make sure to stir it continuously so that it does not burn. Then set aside it on a flat plate to cool.
3. Dry roast the peanuts like the coconut or you can get already roasted peanuts from the market. Crush the peanuts finely with the side of a heavy knife.
4. Pour vegetable oil in frying pan and fry the shallots on medium heat until golden brown. The amount of the vegetable oil should be enough to cover the shallots. Be careful not to burn them. Remove the pan from heat before the shallots are dark brown as they will continue to cook for a minute or two once removed from the pan. (You can even buy pre-fried shallots that are available in a container at many Asian groceries).
5. Chop some chilies into small pieces and fry them in the oil until they become brown. (You can skip this step if you do not like spicy food much).
6. Take the eggs and boil them in water for about 10 minutes until hard-boiled. As soon as it is done, remove the eggs from the hot water and transfer them into a bowl with fresh cold water to stop further cooking. Peel off the shell and slice it thinly or halved.
7. Soak the wing beans in a bowl of white vinegar for about 5 minutes, then remove from the vinegar, and set aside.
8. Boil the wing beans in salt water for less than a minute, just enough time to turn into dark green. Before boiling, make sure to cut off the ends of the wing beans. Moreover, if you want them to be more crisp and crunchy, rinse in cold water and slice into ¼-inch pieces.
9. Clean the shrimp thoroughly. First peel off the heads and legs, and then remove the vein (intestine), but leave the tail on.
10. Boil the coconut milk in a pan. Add the shrimp and cook it until pink in color. Add the palm sugar, tamarind paste, roasted chili paste, lime juice, fish sauce, peanuts, and coconut after removing the pan off heat. Mix it well.
11. Finally add the wing beans in the mixture.
12. Place the mixture onto a plate. Garnish it by sprinkling fried shallots and chilies on top and decorate the sides of the plate with the sliced eggs. Serve.

Tips:

1. Boiled green beans can be substituted, if the wing beans are not available.
2. You can also add some small pieces of boiled chicken or pork with the shrimp.
3. It is essential to use good brands of coconut milk. If you are using homemade coconut milk, use just the cream.