Recipe from Nuit Regular
Adapted by Alexa Weibel
Published May 27, 2025
There are very few ingredients that can electrify a dish the way a spoonful of curry paste can. In this recipe, which is adapted from “Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand” (Penguin Canada, 2020) by Nuit Regular, store-bought red curry paste and lime leaves season sliced chicken and long beans in a salty-sweet dry curry. At her Toronto restaurant, Ms. Regular makes the curry paste from scratch, and in Thailand, you can purchase fresh curry paste by weight, but stateside, you’re more likely to find it in shelf-stable cans or jars. Salt and heat levels vary widely, so start with a little, then add more gradually, as desired. Citrusy, herbal Makrut lime leaves are essential to classic pad prik king (see Tip 2), but rest assured, this recipe is still delicious without them.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Marinate the chicken: In a medium bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons water with the cornstarch and salt. Add the chicken and stir vigorously to combine.
Add the oil to a wok or large nonstick skillet and heat over medium. Add garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the curry paste and mash it into the oil until fragrant, darkened and starting to crumble, about 3 minutes.
Add the chicken mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the long beans, oyster sauce and ¼ cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Add the sugar and lime leaves and cook for 1 more minute. Serve over rice, or with rice on the side if serving with additional items.
Tip 1: Curry pastes range in intensity as much as palates range in their heat tolerance. If your curry paste is particularly thick and concentrated — and you don’t like a lot of heat — you might want to take it down a notch to 3 tablespoons. If your curry paste is somewhat wetter and looser — or you like this quite spicy — you can increase to taste. With any spicy item, it’s best to start with less and add than aim to reverse the flame.
Tip 2: For the brightest flavor, fresh lime leaves are ideal, but thawed frozen lime leaves work well, too. You can find fresh and frozen leaves at Thai or other Asian markets, and dried leaves online. (If using dried lime leaves, you can skip slicing them, for ease, and increase the amount, as their flavors are muted.)